Russia has a population crisis, but it is not keen on the use of dating apps in certain regions.
On Tuesday, Russia’s interior ministry urged people in the border regions of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod not to use dating apps amid Kyiv’s incursion into Russian territory.
“The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy is actively using them to gather information,” according to a memo issued by Russia’s internal affairs ministry, Interfax news agency reported, according to a Moscow Times translation.
Homegrown apps have taken over Russia’s online dating market after Western dating apps Tinder, Bumble, and Badoo exited the market.
On Tuesday, Russian authorities also advised residents of the border regions not to use security cameras and not to stream videos on roads where military vehicles are present.
“The enemy is identifying IP address ranges in our territories, remotely accessing unprotected security cameras, monitoring everything from private yards to strategic roads and highways,” said Russia’s interior ministry.
The warnings came after Ukraine launched a surprise invasion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s military leadership said its forces have captured more Russian territory than what Moscow’s forces have seized in Ukraine since the start of 2024.
Russia’s population could halve by the end of this century
Russia’s demographic crisis is so dire that the country’s population could halve by the end of the century, according to a report from the Atlantic Council earlier this month.
Russia was in a demographic crisis even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Over 300,000 Russian troops died or were injured in the Ukraine war by the end of 2023, US intelligence officials estimated. An estimated 1 million people fled Russia after the war broke out, deepening a brain drain and labor crunch in the country.
Overall, Russia’s population growth has declined over the past decade, World Bank data shows.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is paying special attention to demographic issues.
In November, he extolled the virtues of large families, calling on women to have eight children —or more.
Earlier this year, Putin called on Russians to have more babies for ethnic survival.
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