The President of Russia called the demographic problem the main one in the country, one that "does not let you sleep at night."

The head of state spoke at the investment forum, so it is logical that he primarily focused on the economic consequences - the lack of labor.

But, of course (and Putin immediately clarified this), the problem of reducing the number of Russian citizens is not only and not so much an economic one.

From the point of view of strengthening our statehood, this issue is acquiring a truly strategic significance.

Fundamental value.

We are corny few.

There are many Anglo-Saxons, many Chinese, many Indians.

And there are few Europeans, so none of the old European countries can claim the status of a world-class superpower - only a regional status.

Russia cannot in any way be a regional superpower, let alone an "ordinary" country like Canada, with which they like to compare us.

Canada lives quietly behind the back of the United States, Britain and other formally independent, but carefully coordinating their foreign policy, English-speaking countries.

Can Canada afford even the slightest real independence?

No, he can not.

We have never had such a "back", and never will, and sovereignty is our value, which we will never give up.

“Russia has only two allies - its army and navy,” said the great peacemaker Alexander III, under whom our country did not wage a single war.

At the same time, the population of the Russian Empire in those years increased by approximately 2 million people a year.

Much is now being done to increase the birth rate: material support for families with children, especially large families, and programs to attract compatriots, and the construction of new schools and children's hospitals.

And all this is good, but, unfortunately, it is absolutely not enough.

The multi-storey "cheloveinniks" that are actively being built both in Moscow and in the regions - they are banally inconvenient and uncomfortable for families with children.

We are the largest country in the world, do we really have little territory for people to live in their houses with plots?

It is necessary to stimulate low-rise construction and the return of people "to the ground" and build new cities, as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

We need to increase the number of people both in Siberia and in some regions of the European part of the country.

Let me remind you that the population of the Pskov region over the past 100 years has decreased by almost three times and continues to decrease, and this is our outpost: in recent centuries, enemies most often came from the western side.

It still remains difficult to obtain a Russian passport for Russian people, whether they are descendants of emigrants or those who ended up in another country without leaving home after the collapse of the USSR.

Requirements for applicants for obtaining citizenship should be minimal: knowledge of the Russian language and a desire to possess a Russian passport.

Everything.

And, of course, we need a large-scale strategy of demographic development comparable to the program of building railways in the second half of the 19th century or to the program of industrialization or the conquest of virgin lands in the 20th century.

This document should cover measures to support families with children, and spatial development, and the return of compatriots, and most importantly - clear tasks, KPIs for federal and regional authorities.

So that every official understands: his work is assessed based on the demographic characteristics of the reporting territory.

The birth rate is growing, Russians from other countries are coming - great.

People refuse to have children and leave - it’s very bad, we need to think about the suitability of the position.

It is clear that there is the Far North, where there is probably no need to build cities with a population of over one million, but a total depopulation of even regions with a difficult climate should not be allowed.

Dangerous.

An alternative to adopting such a demographic strategy is the continuation of the reduction in the number of Russians and other indigenous peoples of Russia, as well as the constant import of migrants, for the overwhelming majority of whom our country will never become their homeland.

In fact, this is an investment in someone else's economy and in someone else's demographic program.

The population of the former Soviet Central Asian republics, by the way, is growing rapidly, in contrast to the dying Baltic and Ukraine.

Let me remind you that Vladimir Putin previously noted that if it were not for the catastrophes and tragedies of the 20th century, the population of Russia now could be about 500 million people.

I believe that it is precisely on this number that one should be guided.

It is not the first time for us to set ourselves ambitious goals and achieve them.

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.