Russian President Vladimir Putin recently reinstated a Soviet-era award, giving women who have ten or more children a one-time payment of one million rubles (worth $16,747, at press time) .
The honorary title and certification of “Mother Heroine” is bestowed upon the mother once her tenth living child has reached one year of age.
According to Putin’s decree, mothers will still be eligible for the award if their child dies as a result of war or an act of terrorism, or in an emergency situation.
The Mother Heroine award was originally established by Josef Stalin in 1944 to encourage re-settlement following the country’s high casualty toll since World War II. At the time, the award was described as a “special badge of distinction” but was discontinued in 1991 alongside the fall of the Soviet Union.
A woman walks with a child, August 20, 2022, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Russian look via ZUMA Press
With an average household size of 3.2 people, Russia’s population has been shrinking at a rapid rate over the past 30 years, as reported by Statistica.
Recent estimates indicate that between January and May 2022, the population of the Russian Federation decreased by more than 430,000 people, 20% being those who left the country, according to the Russian statistics agency Rosstat.
Although the Russian authorities do not provide an official toll of the number of citizens killed in the war in Ukraine, 5,256 deaths are estimated, according to independent media, stories.
According to the Data Department of the Russian Fertility and Mortality Database, the death rate of young people in Russia has increased by 18% due to the war.
ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.
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