Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
According to an NGO, women raped by Russian soldiers risk being accused of discrediting the Russian army.
New rules in parts of occupied Ukraine are making it increasingly difficult for women to terminate pregnancies. Rights groups say the measures add pressure on already vulnerable civilians living under Russian control.
Activists warn the policies mirror broader demographic and political goals promoted by Moscow.
According to the East Human Rights Group, Russian-installed authorities in occupied regions are tightening control over reproductive healthcare and discouraging abortions.
Vera Iastrebova, head of the organization, told the Kyiv Independent that the policy reflects a wider push by the Russian state to increase birth rates.
She added that such children may later be shaped by state institutions linked to the military.
“These children are then being raised to become future soldiers, as evidenced by the militarization of educational institutions.”
Russia’s demographic crisis
The policy resembles Russia’s domestic approach to reproductive issues as the country faces a worsening demographic decline.
Russia Matters, a project under the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, wrote in August 2025, that Russian deaths in 2024 outnumbered the number of births roughly 600,000.
And in July 2025, Bloomberg cited the Russian Labor Minister, Anton Kotyakov, for saying that Russia would be short 11 million workers by 2030, if the current trend is not reversed.
“Discrediting the Russian army”
Iastrebova told The Kyiv Independent that authorities in Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk Oblast have begun pressuring pregnant women who seek abortions, while also imposing restrictions on doctors.
The policy resembles Russia’s domestic approach to reproductive issues as the country faces a worsening demographic decline.
Women living under occupation may face heightened risks, Iastrebova said, pointing to reports of sexual violence by Russian troops.
“If a woman even claims that she was raped by Russian soldiers, she may not be granted victim status, but may instead be accused of discrediting the Russian army,” she said.
Barriers to abortion
According to Iastrebova, several steps now stand between women and abortion services in occupied territories.
First, a woman must obtain a Russian passport in order to access medical care. She must also undergo procedures such as ultrasonography, which are not widely available in occupied parts of Donetsk and can be expensive.
Those who continue to request an abortion may also be required to attend a meeting with a Russian Orthodox priest. Iastrebova said the conversation is presented as guidance but functions as additional pressure.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, National Resistance Center, Bloomberg, Russia Matters
