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Transcript/ScriptUKRAINE POPULATION DECLINE
HEADLINE: War and uncertainty fuel Ukraine's population decline
TEASER: Ukraine has seen its birth rate drop to its lowest level since independence, raising worries over the country's postwar future
PUBLISHED: 11/27/24 Wednesday at 6:55p
BYLINE: Anna Chernikova
DATELINE: Kyiv
VIDEOGRAPHER: Vladyslav Smilianets, Agency
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, Decherd
VIDEO SOURCES: VOA ORIGINAL, REUTERS
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:43
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVR
NOTES: ))
((INTRO:))
[[Ukraine's population has been shrinking for the past 30 years and officials say the decline has accelerated as a result of the full-scale war with Russia. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv.]]
((NARRATOR))
Nina Marynenko and Artem Marynenko, both in their late 20s, live in Kyiv with their two dogs. They married in November 2022, nine months into Russia's full-scale invasion.
((NARRATOR))
The couple dreams of becoming parents, but they say the uncertainty and the risks brought by the war make them afraid to have a baby.
((Nina Marynenko, Kyiv Resident (FEMALE IN UKRAINIAN))
“The context of war makes you think about something else altogether. /// The thoughts focus on how I imagined pregnancy in peacetime and how it would go during the war. This is something that holds me back very much.”
((NARRATOR))
Nina says she is worried about safety, but also the living conditions in Ukraine.
((Nina Marynenko, Kyiv Resident, FEMALE IN UKRAINIAN))
“I am already in that phase of my life when I am as ready as possible for [having a baby], and the war is one important factor that prevents this.”
((NARRATOR))
Ukraine's government says the country's birth rate has plunged by 30 percent during the war, from 130-thousand babies born in 2021 to 86-thousand in the same period from early 2023 to early 2024.
((NARRATOR))
Deputy director of Ukraine's Institute for Demography and Social Studies Oleksandr Hladun tells VOA the country's population at the beginning of 2022 was 42 million.
This year, he says, it is down to 35 million.
((Oleksandr Hladun, Institute for Demography and Social Studies, MALE IN UKRAINIAN))
“The forecast of the demographic situation made by our institute is quite pessimistic. Maybe in 15 years, there will be 10 million less of us. We develop different forecasts, based on different scenarios."
((NARRATOR))
Hladun says Ukraine’s government needs to address the issue urgently.
He names economic uncertainty as the main issue.
To tackle the problem, Ukraine's government this year approved a Strategy for Demographic Development, a plan to boost economic and social conditions. It aims to increase the birth rate, reduce infant mortality, and promote the return of Ukrainians who fled to other countries during the war.
((NARRATOR))
Tetiana Narytnyk, an obstetrician at one of Kyiv’s leading maternity hospitals says many of her patients now are internally displaced persons.
((Dr. Tetiana Narytnyk, Obstetrician - FEMALE IN UKRAINIAN))
“These women have certain complications during their pregnancies due to stress factors. Also, many women did not have the opportunity to visit an antenatal clinic, see a doctor, and undergo certain examinations and consultations."
((NARRATOR))
Anastasia recently gave birth to Olivia. With her husband and older son, Anastasia, who declined to give her full name, escaped the Russian occupation of Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region in March 2022. A second child was the family’s long-time dream.
Anastasia chose not to wait.
((Anastasia, New Mother, FEMALE IN UKRAINIAN))
“The war will end at one point, and children [mean] happiness. Why not? When if not now?”
((NARRATOR))
Nina and Artem do not share Anastasia and her husband's confidence and optimism.
((Artem Marynenko, Nina's Husband, MALE IN UKRAINIAN))
“Nowadays only stupid or desperate people are having children. Well, we may [one day] fall into one of these categories.”
((NARRATOR))
Many young couples like Nina and Artem are at a crossroads, wondering whether they should start their families now, wait for better times, or not at all.
((Anna Chernikova, VOA News, Kyiv))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateNovember 27, 2024 19:46 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
