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Russia has warned against the use of dating apps in border regions amid Ukraine’s invasion.
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Russian authorities are citing security concerns and claiming that Ukraine is using apps to gather intelligence.
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Russia is facing a demographic crisis, with its population likely to halve by the end of the century.
Russia is facing a population crisis, but is reluctant to embrace dating apps in some regions.
The Russian Interior Ministry on Tuesday urged people in the border regions of Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod not to use dating apps due to Kiev’s invasion of Russian territory.
“The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy actively uses them to gather information,” a memo issued by the Russian Interior Ministry said, the Interfax news agency reported, according to a translation by The Moscow Times.
Home-made apps have taken over the Russian online dating market after Western dating apps Tinder, Bumble and Badoo withdrew from the market.
On Tuesday, Russian authorities also advised residents of the border areas not to use surveillance cameras or stream videos on roads where military vehicles are present.
“The enemy identifies IP address ranges in our territories, gains remote access to unprotected security cameras and monitors everything from private land to strategic roads and highways,” the Russian Interior Ministry said.
The warnings came after Ukraine launched 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 troops have captured 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, an Atlantic Council report found earlier this month.
Russia was already facing a demographic crisis before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
More than 300,000 Russian troops have died or been wounded in the war in Ukraine by the end of 2023, U.S. intelligence estimates. An estimated 1 million people fled Russia after the war broke out, creating a brain drain And labor shortage in the countryside.
Overall, Russia’s population growth has declined over the past decade, World Bank data show.
Russian President Vladimir Putin pays special attention to demographic issues.
In November, He praised the virtues of large families and called on women to have eight children or more.
Earlier this year, Putin called on Russians to have more children to ensure the ethnic group’s survival.
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