Russian MPs vote to ban films over ‘traditional values’
Demographic issues cannot be resolved without reinforcing cultural ideals, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has said
Russia’s lower house of parliament has approved a law that bans licenses for movies seen as discrediting or denying “traditional values.” If adopted by the upper house and signed into law by the president, the measure will take effect in March 2026, according to the State Duma’s official website.
In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a decree listing 17 traditional values – such as patriotism, dignity, and strong family – as central to Russia’s state policy. Intended to preserve national identity, the move pushes back against what the Kremlin sees as Western moral decline.
The new law will allow authorities to deny or revoke rental certificates for movies that undermine “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.” The Culture Ministry will be able to revoke licenses for films that violate the law, while media watchdog Roskomnadzor can order streaming platforms and social networks to take down such content within 24 hours.
Critics have warned that even cherished Soviet-era classics could be endangered by the new law. One notable example is ‘The Irony of Fate’, a film traditionally watched by Russians on New Year’s Eve, which features a storyline where a woman leaves her fiancé to spend the night with a stranger.
Though not directly tied to demographics, the law comes amid growing concern over falling birth rates. Lawmakers have responded with proposals including tax breaks, abortion limits, and a crackdown on child-free ideology.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova warned of a looming fertility crisis due to a declining number of women of childbearing age, and President Vladimir Putin has said the fertility rate must reach 2.1 within five years to reverse the trend.
Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, has stressed that “Russia’s demographic issues cannot be resolved without reinforcing the family institution and upholding traditional values.”
In July, Russian MP Vitaly Milonov, a staunch supporter of “traditional Russian values” and vocal critic of the “child-free” ideology, proposed banning childless women from films. He argues that portraying strong, independent women without children encourages Russians to delay marriage and childbirth.
