Russian demographer demands end to online divorces

The state should work to save marriages, instead of simplifying their termination, Natalya Moskvitina has said

Russians currently have the option of filing for divorce online. However, Natalya Moskvitina, the deputy head of the Public Chamber’s Demography Commission, insists that breaking up should be harder to do.

Since 2022, getting a divorce has been as simple for Russian citizens as using the government’s state service platform Gosuslugi to do so from their phones, assuming the couple does not have underage children and both the man and the woman agree.

Moskvitina contends that the state should make every effort to support and preserve such families, so that they may have children.

“When it comes to divorces, it is absolutely wrong to simplify the process and make it a formality. It’s wrong to do it through Gosuslugi,” she told RIA-Novosti on Friday.

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Instead, the platform should be used to connect people who are experiencing problems in their marriage with experts, who can help them mend their relations and stay together, the demographer suggested.

“If a married couple has a fight, they should be able to go to Gosuslugi and set up a video call with a psychologist, a mediator or a lawyer,” she said, adding that the assistance should be provided to them within a few hours.

Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov fully backed Moskvitina’s call, telling the broadcaster 360 that “in times of crisis, one shouldn’t just destroy relationships, but try to find ways to fix them. In many cases, people just need to be provided with help, instead of immediately deciding to divorce.”

According to the state statistics agency Rosstat, birth rates are expected to continue to decline in Russia in the coming years. The agency forecasts that the country’s population will drop from 146 million to 138 million by 2046.

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The number of divorces in families with children in Russia has decreased 30% over the past two years, Tass reported last November after reviewing court files. In the first half of 2025, 163,000 couples applied for termination of their marriage, compared to 204,000 in the same period in 2023.