Putin’s Existential Problem: Not Enough Russians

“Vladimir Putin has portrayed himself as a defender of global stability, leading a powerful nation that offers a robust economic, military and cultural alternative to the West,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“One challenge to his vision: Russia’s population has been in decline for years, and the war in Ukraine has made matters worse.”

“At least 150,000 Russians are dead on the battlefield, according to Western estimates. Nearly a million fled the country after the war began. The number of births is at its lowest in more than two decades, with bigger-than-average drops in babies born in some regions closest to the fight.”