Over the last two decades, Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly encouraged the Russian population to have more children, in turn ramping up programs that provide generous financial incentives for procreation. Yet statistics show that only a few regions have heeded the call, one being Chechnya. In recent years, Chechnya has experienced outstanding demographic growth despite the two wars that ravaged the republic in 1994-1996 and 1999-2009. This talk will discuss the motivations of the Chechen people to marry and have children during times of war. It will draw on research conducted since 2014 to the present day, placing the observed demographic trends and analyzed data within the broader context of North Caucasian and Russian demography. Finally it will discuss the meaning of Chechen demographic growth for the political future of Chechnya and Russia.

Dr. Marat Iliyasov is a Chechen scholar specializing in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Presently, he holds the position of Fellow at the Global Academy of George Washington University. Prior to this, he served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Miami University, which he joined following the completion of his post-doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Iliyasov’s research concentrates on various areas, including the Russo-Chechen war and its aftermath, post-Soviet conflicts across the broader Eurasian region, the dynamics of religious radicalization and the governance of religions, as well as the intricate interplay of authoritarianism and memory politics in Russia and Chechnya. At present, he is in a process of completing his first book Procreation for the Sake of the Nation (under contract). This project delves into the motivations driving procreation among Chechens during times of conflict. His academic journey has been fortified by a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, which he began after completion of his Master’s degree in Caucasus Studies from Ilia State University in Tbilisi. Another MA degree that he holds is from the School of Political Science and International Relations at Vilnius University. Before academia Dr. Iliyasov worked as a journalist, and various non-governmental organizations in Georgia and Lithuania.