- Russia plans to increase divorce fees to help pay for the Ukraine war, Bloomberg reported.
- The Finance Ministry's proposal raises divorce fees from 650 to 5,000 rubles.
- Fees are also rising on name changes and business complaints, the outlet said.
Divorce in Russia won't be cheap after Moscow drafted a proposal to step up fees for ending marriage, Bloomberg reported, citing local news reports.
The Finance Ministry motioned to multiply divorce fees to 5,000 rubles, an eightfold increase from the 650 rubles a separation currently costs. The fee would be roughly equal to a quarter of the country's minimum monthly wage, the outlet said.
It's a scheme that would help unlock funds for Moscow's war against Ukraine, coming at a time of increased financial pressure from the West. In June, the US doubled down on slashing Russia's financial lifelines, as it took aim at virtually any foreign entity that still maintains ties to Moscow.
That's bound to add more pain to the country's economy as funding continues to go towards war efforts. The country has already been running a budget deficit since the end of 2022.
Bloomberg wrote that the proposal also included a threefold jump in fees for name changes in official documents and a higher cost for business complaints submitted to the country's antitrust office.
But the focus on divorce may also be tied to Russian concerns over shrinking demographics. Divorce rates in the country are one of the highest in the world, with 683,700 registered in 2023, Bloomberg said.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has frequently called for Russians to have bigger families amid the country's low birthrate and declining population. Some of that decline is on account of casualties among soldiers in Ukraine and emigration driven by the war.
"If we want to survive as an ethnic group — well, or as ethnic groups inhabiting Russia — there must be at least two children," Putin said in February.