Russian lawyer Igor Trunov has claimed that Russian soldiers have been offered the chance to freeze their sperm in cryobanks for free. In September, Vladimir Putin called up 300,000 draftees to fight his war in Ukraine.
According to the Mirror, prior to being deployed in Ukraine, many soldiers have turned to clinics to put freeze their sperm.
The Kremlin health ministry has not yet commented on the reports.
Trunov told a Russian state news agency that the relevant government ministry had “determined the possibility of financial support from the federal budget for free conservation and storage of germ cells (spermatozoa) for citizens mobilised to take part in the SVO for 2022-2024”.
The Fontanka website in St Petersburg reported a surge of men approaching IVF and fertility clinics in the days after the mass civilian call-up.
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Russia invaded Ukraine 10 months ago, alleging a threat to its security orchestrated by NATO.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions so far, with an end nowhere in sight.
Russian attacks on power stations and other infrastructure have left millions of Ukrainians without heating and electricity for hours or days at a time.
The latest Russian shelling wounded at least eight civilians, including three in Bakhmut, Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
The city of Kherson itself — which Ukraine retook last month in a major win — was targeted 11 times, said regional administrator Yaroslav Yanushevich.
Since its initial advances at the start of the war 10 months ago, Russia has made few major gains, often pummeling Ukraine’s infrastructure instead and leaving millions without electricity, heating and hot water amid winter conditions.
Lavrov didn’t specify how the Russian army will achieve its goals of demilitarizing and “denazifying” Ukraine — which was Russia’s stated goal when the invasion started in February. The reference to “denazification” comes from Russia’s allegations that the Ukrainian government is heavily influenced by radical nationalist and neo-Nazi groups.
The claim is derided by Ukraine and the West.