Death of a Nation? Thoughts on the future of Russia

My fascination with Russia started when I was a young boy and was encouraged to learn the teachings of Lenin by my father.

Back then, at the heart of the Soviet Union, Russia was portrayed as a dangerous but powerful enemy that promoted Communism against the West’s preferred model of economic and democratic freedom.

My first visits to Russia were magical – the mystery of a nation that had developed in isolation behind an Iron Curtain creating a people and culture that were so different from what I was used to that I was captivated by its romance of its improbability and novelty. Even the light-bulbs worked in a different way, and it was like stepping into a parallel universe where the same sorts of things happened as in ours, but just differently.

However, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, many predicted that a short – but brutal – period of adjustment would see Russia transform itself in a market economy and a major world player.

That hasn’t happened.

19 years later, Russia’s survival as a nation is called into question due to the alarming rate at which its population is declining, caused by a number of factors:

• 10 million Russians are infertile;
• Life expectancy of a Russian man is 56 – the same as in Bangladesh;
• The Russian birth-rate is 50% of what is needed to sustain the population;
• More than 50% of Russian pregnancies end in abortion;
• A high percentage of Russian newborns have serious health issues;
• Many educated, health and attractive young Russian women remain single and do not have children.

According to the Russian government’s own statistics and projections, its population may have halved by 2050 and it may cease to be a viable nation.

What is the future for Russia, a country that combines developed world birth-rates with developing world mortality rates?

This video documentary looks at the issue in detail, with a bleak assessment of life in this once great nation, which I hope will find a way to get back on its feet.

I would encourage anyone who cares about the future of humanity to watch this documentary.