In terms of mortality of able-bodied men, Russia is on a par with belligerent Syria

" Every fifth death in Russia is a man of working age, that is, it is someone's father, husband, son, who ensures the well-being of not only the family, but also the country, and by this indicator we are at the level of the belligerent Syria", Sergey Rybalchenko words were quoted by TASS agency. The chairman of the Public Chamber's commission added that this is "a terrible situation, and it needs to be corrected".

According to preliminary data from Rosstat, in 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic only further exacerbated the situation. The number of resident population of Russia over the past year decreased by 510.5 thousand people, the natural decline in January-November reached 574.8 thousand, being a record since 2006. For 11 months, 1,881 million people died in the country, which is 229.7 thousand more than in the previous year. The birth rate fell by 59.4 thousand people, to 1.308 million children, and in relative terms - to 9.7 children per thousand inhabitants, the lowest figure since 2002. If the situation does not change, then by 2030 the natural decline will amount to more than 5.5 million Russians - almost 30% of all losses during the Great Patriotic War or the loss of all residents of a region such as the Moscow region, finanz.ru notes.

According to Sergey Rybalchenko, despite the problems with domestic medicine, it is impossible to reverse the situation with mortality only with its help. "We cannot cure everyone who is actually on the verge between life and death. We must prevent the causes that lead to death", - he said.

According to the Moscow authorities, the death rate in November in the capital, which has been hardest hit by coronavirus infection, increased by almost 50% . However, in many regions the situation is even worse. In the Kemerovo region last year, the death rate was twice the number of newborns . In Mordovia, the number of deaths in December 2020 has doubled compared to December 2019.