Russia is suffering from a population crisis, but in certain regions it is not very keen on the use of dating apps.
On Tuesday, the Russian Interior Ministry urged people in the border regions of Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod not to use dating apps in light of Kyiv’s invasion of Russian territory.
“The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy is actively using them to gather intelligence,” said a memo from the Russian Interior Ministry, the Interfax news agency reported, according to a translation by the Moscow Times.
After Western dating apps Tinder, Bumble and Badoo left the market, local apps took over the Russian online dating market.
On Tuesday, Russian authorities also advised residents of border regions not to use surveillance cameras or stream videos on roads where military vehicles travel.
“The enemy is identifying IP address ranges on our territory, remotely accessing unprotected surveillance cameras and monitoring everything from private yards to strategic roads and highways,” the Russian Interior Ministry said.
The warnings came after Ukraine made a surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk region on August 6. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s military leadership said its forces had captured more Russian territory than Moscow’s forces have in Ukraine since the beginning of 2024.
Russia’s population could halve by the end of this century
Russia’s demographic crisis is so severe that the country’s population could halve by the end of the century, according to an Atlantic Council report published earlier this month.
Russia was already in a demographic crisis before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
By the end of 2023, more than 300,000 Russian soldiers had died or been injured in the Ukraine war, US intelligence agencies estimated. An estimated 1 million people fled Russia after the outbreak of the war, which represents a Brain drain of highly qualified professionals And Labor shortage in the country.
Overall, Russia’s population growth has declined over the last decade. World Bank Show data.
Russian President Vladimir Putin pays special attention to demographic issues.
In November He praised the virtues of large families and encouraged women to have eight or more children.
Earlier this year, Putin called on Russians to have more children for the survival of their ethnic group.
