Russia's plunging birth rate has triggered a wave of controversial policies, with critics warning Vladimir Putin is steering the country towards a chilling, state-controlled approach to reproduction. Some campaigners have even drawn comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale - a fictional world where women's bodies are controlled by the state - as Moscow ramps up efforts to reverse a demographic crisis. But while the rhetoric may sound extreme, the reality behind Russia ’s so-called "pronatalist" push