DISINFO: Free abortion in Russia refutes Russophobic claim about the Kremlin being far-right
SUMMARY
How many times have you heard "Russia is ruled by the far right" or "Russia is an ultraconservative country" in various media outlets and from spokespeople around the world, especially those who claim to be progressive? These are at least a couple of statements that are frankly debatable from multiple perspectives. For example, let's take the ever-controversial issue of abortion. Indeed, although this surprises many people due to the misinformation about Russia that circulates freely around the world, Russian law considers abortion completely legal, free, and available up to the 12th week of pregnancy under all circumstances, and beyond that point in cases such as rape, incest, or medical complications that pose a serious risk to the mother's health. The procedures are performed free of charge in public clinics, and the only requirement for a woman to make this decision herself is to be at least 16 years old and to take a period of 2 to 7 days for reflection, depending on the case, before the procedure. It doesn't sound particularly far-right or extremely conservative, does it? But then, how do you explain so many people using those labels against Russia? Because those labels are nothing more than old-fashioned Western-centric Russophobia, but in its progressive version.
RESPONSE
The claim is baseless and utterly false. The Kremlin itself portrays Russia as a beacon of ultraconservative 'family values', with Vladimir Putin declaring 2024 the 'Year of the Family', which involved a campaign against divorce and abortion, and presenting himself as a defender of traditional values as a mobilisation strategy both inside Russia and as a model for the global far-right.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation regularly tries to portray Russia as a country that struck the 'perfect balance' between conservatism and feminism and where Russian women are happier, more fulfilled, and freer than their Western counterparts, but the reality is very different. The Russian government has been restricting access to abortion since 2023, with some regions moving towards a total ban. According to a Human Rights Watch report published shortly after this disinformation story came out, Russian authorities “have openly pressured private clinics to stop performing abortions, toughened licensing requirements, revoked their licenses, and reclassified drugs used in medical abortion as controlled substances, making them harder to access”.
Other elements showing Russia’s ultraconservative character are the persecution of what the Kremlin calls 'LGTB propaganda' and the restriction of LGTBI rights and movements, the decriminalisation of domestic violence in 2017, the rejection of feminism including calls to label it 'an extremist ideology', and the pressure for women to have children, including serious fines for what legislators call 'the promotion of the child-free ideology'. See also our article Russia - a women’s paradise?
Pro-Kremlin disinformation regularly labels as “Russophobia” any criticism of Russia or action detrimental to the Kremlin’s interests, as in this case. By baselessly claiming that the description of Russia as a far-right country is Russophobic, this disinformation story distorts facts in order to continue appealing to left-leaning audiences who could be alienated by Russia’s ultraconservative agenda.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that there is more freedom of speech in Russia than in Europe, that the Russian electoral system is one of the most advanced worldwide, that Russia is one of the safest countries in the world, that Russia is a global leader in democratic procedure, or that Russia is backed by a global majority.