Crap article, intended to put down Russia. It plays on stereotypes and parrots "popular opinion" of Russia.
It is opinion article. It does not cite any sources for its data, for example birthrate grows since 2005 (according to CIA factbook). And please stop the vodka/drunken nation thing, the rest of the world does not write articles that British have problem with gin anymore.
> for example birthrate grows since 2005 (according to CIA factbook)
Since 1999, in fact, as the article acknowledges: "Russia’s post-Communist TFR hit its low—perhaps we should say its low to date—in 1999, when it was 1.17. By 2005, the total fertility rate in the Russian Federation was up to about 1.3".
Some of its conclusions require more evidence (the contention that Russian standard of living will decline, the attribution of increased accidental mortality to alcohol problems instead of more people driving, etc.) But I'm not sure why you doubt the actual statistics.
It is opinion article. It does not cite any sources for its data, for example birthrate grows since 2005 (according to CIA factbook). And please stop the vodka/drunken nation thing, the rest of the world does not write articles that British have problem with gin anymore.