Opinion

Russia is going all in on a baby boom

The Kremlin promises money to people who have children, expands benefits for large families, and publicly "cares" about pregnant students and schoolgirls. The sums involved are enormous: by 2030, the national "Family" project is expected to receive funding equivalent to about two of Ukraine's annual state budgets in terms of expenditures. The money will go toward measures intended, in one way or another, to boost the birth rate — from subsidized mortgages for young families to promoting large