Considering that the world is severely overpopulated it is ridiculous to consider the Russian situation "drastic." In fact, it could be argued that the Russian people would be better off with a lower population. Canada's population density is much lower than that of Russia, which allows for the resource wealth to grow.
Brian Lander, Montreal, Canada It seems to me that a drop in the world population towards a more sustainable number would do us all a lot of good. Is the encouragement to produce more people yet another symptom of nationalism and grow-or-die economics?
Chris, Tokyo I do not understand. There are over six billion people in the world. Why do we want more people consuming energy, causing pollution and contributing to global warming? Encouraging someone with several children to have another that will use more oil than I could possibly save by getting a hybrid vehicle, make no sense to me.
Cecil Chesser, minneapolis, minnesota, usa There are almost seven billion people crowded onto this planet, does Russia really want to add to the problem? If the country believes it needs a larger population, perhaps it would be better to do more to encourage immigration.
Alexandra Travis, Leicestershire, England If the government officials want hero mothers, they should stop the sex slave trade of Russian women to European brothels. It's a tragedy of national proportions - an entire gene base is being killed, drugged and raped into thin air, and the government is denying the very existence of slave trade. Moscow alone has 80,000 prostitutes, which is 8-10% of the population. It would be interesting to read about that in your blog - and the reactions of Muscovites to the rise in sexual violence against Eastern European women since the break-up of the USSR.
Olga, formerly of Voronezh Rather than encouraging large families, President Medvedev should be encouraging immigration to Russia. Allowing in Chinese and Indians would help Russia connect with these emerging strong economies.
Jim Wild, London Why is a declining population bad? We're always being warned that the earth can't support so many people. Instead of trying to increase their populations, countries with declining populations should focus on supporting their elderly and be glad that they're helping global resource sustainability.
Tasha Cady, Phoenix Az USA After hearing only extremely negative comments on Russia from BBC reporters, even the slightly negative comments by James Rodgers seem refreshing. The fact that Russians manage to work in such extreme climatic conditions speaks volume about their mental and physical stamina. Even Eskimoes and Scandinavians take long winter breaks to get over harsh winters.
Sid, Delhi, India
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