Analysts: abnormal birth rate in Chechnya on December 31 could be provoked by manipulations

In order to receive the payment promised by the leader of Chechnya for naming newborns after national heroes, pregnant women could resort to labour stimulation or caesarean section, as well as manipulation of the birth date. The abnormal number of boys born on December 31 confirms the above assumptions, analysts believe.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Ramzan Kadyrov instructed the republic’s authorities to pay 500,000 roubles to parents of each boy born on December 31 and named in honour of national heroes. At the same time, it turned out that on the day of the action, four times more boys were unexpectedly born in the republic than on other days.

Alexei Gunya, the senior researcher at the Institute of Geography at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), expressed his doubt in the data that on December 31, four times more boys were born in comparison with the other days.

“I admit that these statistics are based on various factors, including those related to the fact of birth registration tied to December 31. However, there may be other factors, including psychological ones, artificial stimulation of labour, and others,” Alexei Gunya noted.

The birth rate figures announced by the leader of Chechnya are abnormal, independent demographer Alexei Raksha agreed.

“According to the information announced by the leader of Chechnya, 222 children were born in the republic on December 31, 2024, of which 180 were boys. However, on average, about 88 children are born per day in Chechnya,” Alexei Raksha stated.

Katerina Neroznikova, a coordinator of the “Marem” movement, does not see a direct connection between the Ramzan Kadyrov’s action and the increased discrimination against girls in Chechnya.

“A woman, even without any actions, is perceived as a mechanism for reproducing offsprings (preferably males). The mentioned action (or rather, the effect noted in the news) rather confirms total corruption and falsifications and demonstrates how fertile ground is for fraud with benefits. Birth cannot be timed to fit any dates. But the date can be adjusted for a small monetary contribution. I think that many boys were not born on December 31, but a day later or earlier,” Katerina Neroznikova suggested.