- Paul Kirby
- BBC News
image copyright GettyImages
Putin announced the partial mobilization of about 300,000 troops last September
The head of the Federation of Lawyers of Russia, Igor Trunov, said that soldiers participating in the Ukraine war will be allowed to freeze their sperm for free.
Trunov told the state news agency Tass that the Ministry of Health responded to his appeal to provide the service for free, in addition to the changes he proposed in the compulsory health insurance system.
Russia called up about 300,000 reservists after a series of setbacks for its forces in Ukraine.
Reports indicated that since the summoning of this large number of soldiers, specialized medical clinics have witnessed a turnout from men to freeze semen.
Trunov announced, through his account on the social networking site Twitter, that the Russian Bar Association submitted a request on behalf of many families whose husbands were summoned to participate in the special military operation, which is the name that Russia gives to the war in Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Health did not comment on Trunov’s statements, but the head of the Lawyers’ Union told TASS that the ministry “confirmed that there is a possibility to allocate financial support from the federal budget for the free preservation and storage of semen of citizens who participate in the special military operation in the period from 2022 to 2024.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 28, by sending 200,000 soldiers. Since then, Russia has lost tens of thousands of soldiers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” amid continuing high casualties, while an estimated 250,000 men fled Russia to avoid conscription and take part in the war in Ukraine.
A few days after this extended recall, Fontanka monitored an increase in demand for IVF and fertility clinics in St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, to freeze semen and for men to sign authorization for wives to use it.
Andrei Ivanov, of the city’s Mariinsky Hospital, said men who had a turn for conscription were at the top of the line for semen-freezing, followed by those planning to leave Russia.
Men and women in Russia rarely go to this type of clinic, according to the Fontanka report.
This is intended to help obtain a child if the man dies or loses the ability to bear children.