A Russian politician says the country needs a ‘special demographic operation’ to boost its birth rate, which has crashed to a 25-year-low [Video]

Russia could be running out of Russians.

In the first half of this year, Russia’s population recorded its lowest number of births in 25 years, according to official data published on Sunday.

From January to June, 599,600 babies were born in Russia — 16,500 fewer than the same period last year. It’s also the lowest since 1999, according to Reuters’ analysis.

Births fell to 98,700 in June — the first monthly decline of births in Russia. It’s also the first time the number of births in a month dipped below 100,000.

Russia has rolled out incentives encouraging childbirth, including a one-time payment of 1 million rubles, or $11,000, for Russian mothers who have 10 or more children. The women will also receive a “Mother Heroine” title — a Soviet-era award Putin revived in 2022.

However, Russia’s birth rate remains dismal, prompting a politician to suggest that the country launch a “special demographic operation.”

Russia’s birth rate was 8.3 per 1,000 people for …