Russia plans Ministry to oversee citizens' 'intimate affairs' in effort to boost birthrate

Russia has introduced a Ministry of Sex, tasked with closely monitoring the coitus (or intercourse, if you prefer) habits of its citizens¡ªensuring that nothing is left unexamined in the realm of... well, "normal" human activity.

As per Nina Ostanina, a 68-year-old Putin loyalist and chairwoman of the Russian parliament¡¯s committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Maternity, and Childhood, is currently reviewing a petition calling for drastic measures to address Russia's declining population.

This move is part of a larger effort from Putin's officials to reverse the demographic crisis worsened by the tens of thousands of lives lost in the ongoing war in Ukraine, which began nearly three years ago.

In an attempt to spark a baby boom, the proposals are nothing short of bizarre.

One idea, The Mirror reports, includes shutting down the internet and even cutting off the electricity between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., hoping to push couples toward more... intimate activities.

Another suggestion is to pay stay-at-home mothers for housework, including this as part of their pension contributions.

Even stranger, officials are contemplating using public funds to pay for first dates, with a 5,000 ruble (?40) voucher, and to finance wedding nights at hotels up to a value of 26,300 rubles (?208), hoping it would encourage couples to have children.

These proposals stem from a petition spearheaded by the GlavPR agency, as part of an initiative to create a 'Ministry of Sex' dedicated to increasing the birthrate.

While the petition¡¯s backers remain unclear, it¡¯s evident that various Russian regions are taking matters into their own hands. For instance, in Khabarovsk, female students between the ages of 18 and 23 are being promised ?900 upon the birth of their child, while Chelyabinsk offers a much higher reward of ?8,500 for the firstborn.

As if that weren¡¯t enough, some regions are pushing even further with the idea of a ¡°sex-at-work¡± scheme.

In Chelyabinsk, regional health minister Dr. Yevgeny Shestopalov provocatively suggested that Russians should be encouraged to engage in procreation during their breaks at work. ¡°You can engage in procreation during breaks because life flies by too quickly,¡± he remarked.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, the state is taking a more invasive approach, with intimate questionnaires about sex and menstruation being sent to female public sector workers.

This could signal the start of a nationwide effort to gather personal information in a bid to boost the birthrate, raising serious questions about the extent of state intrusion into women's private lives.

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