100,000 rubles for a baby? Russia is offering cash to schoolgirls to have kids

The Kemerovo region has joined Oryol and Bryansk in explicitly including school-age girls in pregnancy incentives. Authorities in these regions are offering a one-time payment of 100,000 rubles (approximately Rs 1 lakh) to school-age girls who have children. As many as eight other Russian regions have announced similar incentives. Under the scheme, legal guardians of eligible schoolgirls will receive a one-time payment if the girl was at least 22 weeks pregnant.

The policy expands an existing scheme that previously provided financial support to university students who became mothers. Under the new rules, the incentive now applies to students in full-time education at schools, vocational colleges, and universities.

Policy Details and Government Justification

A decree amending the policy was published on the Oryol government’s website last week, confirming that the payments will be available from 2025 to 2027. The initiative aims to address Russia’s declining birth rate, which stands at 1.42 children per woman, according to the World Bank. President Vladimir Putin has urged women to have at least three children and has criticised the “child-free” lifestyle as an “extremist ideology.”

Backlash and Official Response

The policy sparked criticism after independent media outlet 7×7 Horizontal Russia highlighted the amendment on Telegram. In response, Klychkov accused the press of misrepresenting the policy. “Unfortunately, journalists did not specify that there is an order of the ministry of labor of Russia dated February 11, 2025, ‘On approval of methodological recommendations for the implementation of measures of regional programs to increase the birth rate, subject to co-financing from the federal budget,’” he wrote on Telegram.

Klychkov also stated that no school-age girls currently qualify for the payments and defended the policy as a measure to support young mothers. “Young girls in such a situation often make controversial decisions,” he said. “Our task, since this has already happened, is to support them, to help save the life of the child and the health of the mother.” He urged the public to view the measure as “another form of social support” rather than a controversial policy.

Demographic Challenges and Impact of Ukraine War

Russia is experiencing a demographic crisis exacerbated by high mortality rates and military losses in Ukraine. Britain’s Ministry of Defence estimated last week that Russia has suffered around 900,000 casualties since the invasion began in February 2022, including approximately 250,000 deaths.