In an attempt to raise Russia's low birth rate, the "Nashi" youth movement organized camps where young Russians are encouraged to marry and procreate for the motherland.
Remember the mammoths, say the clean-cut organisers at the youth camp's mass wedding. "They became extinct because they did not have enough sex. That must not happen to Russia".Obediently, couples move to a special section of dormitory tents arranged in a heart-shape and called the Love Oasis, where they can start procreating for the motherland.
A Rand brief provides some of the reasoning behind the effort to encourage more births.
Both to mitigate health problems resulting from abortion and to boost the Russian fertility rate (which, at less than 1.2 lifetime births per woman, is one of the lowest in the world), some Russian officials are seeking curbs on both abortion and contraception. Some Russian nationalists, seeing in declining birth rates "a plot to smother Russia in its cradle," have, with the backing of the Russian Orthodox Church, campaigned successfully for reductions in funds for family planning programs. The chief obstetrician of the Russian Ministry of Health succinctly summarized the Russian political problems confronting family planning programs when he quoted lawmakers telling him "few enough of us were being born as it is, and then you come along with your [family planning] program."
Unfortunately, government run programs have limited effectiveness in opening people's hearts to the gift of children. Nationalism isn't the best reason for creating children, and is somewhat scary to say the least. Children aren't commodities for the state - they gifts from God.
It's one thing to oppose abortion and contraception, and another thing to raise an army of young nationalists...
Sadly typical.... Government sees a problem and moves to fix it, but does it wrong.
All your article really says, is you don't understand Russia. It is a culture with a sense of unity not present in the United States. But they are no more raising ultra nationalists than countries who have children 'pledge their allegiance to the flag.' Now thats scary. Allegience to a flag...not to principles, not to democracy, not to God...blind, unquestioning allegience to the flag. Doesn't sound fair? Well, its about as fair as your article, anyway.
This plan of Putin's has precedence from a similar issue in the 80's where the old Soviet government successfully raised birth rates....they plunged into decline when that program evaporated in the chaos of the post communist 90's.
The Nashi movement isn't important, but the return of the government support for births (ironically government support for abortions never waivered)...has already shown increases in birth rates....time will tell if it ultimately is enough.
I tend to believe they will find an answer to the problem.