Russia could create ‘Institute for the Study of Traditional Values’ – MP

Anna Kuznetsova has called for concrete steps to preserve the country’s foundation and moral standards

Russia must invest in researching traditional values and introduce concrete measures to preserve them, a top MP has said. Traditional, or moral values, are promoted by the government as a way of addressing demographic challenges such as a declining population and low birth rates.

To that end, the government should create an Institute for the Study of Traditional Values, a body that would study the relevant concepts and aid lawmakers in their work, Deputy Chair of the State Duma Anna Kuznetsova suggested on Wednesday.

“If we just keep talking about traditional values, we’ll get bored to death. We need clear and concrete measures to preserve the foundation of our country,” Kuznetsova told the Parliamentary Gazette.

A 2022 presidential decree states that traditional values are “moral guidelines” that form the belief system of Russian citizens and serve as a base for the Russian civil and cultural identity. Among them are patriotism, high moral ideals, strong family, priority of the spiritual over material, as well as historical memory, and continuity of generations.

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According to Kuznetsova, lawmakers came up with the idea of creating an institute dedicated to studying traditional values while working on a bill banning the spread of so-called “destructive information.” The term refers to Western liberal ideas that Russia sees as harmful, such as childfree ideology and LGBTQ, both of which are outlawed in the country.

The problem is that too few terms have been introduced into legislation that describe traditional values and “positive” content related to them, said Kuznetsova.

According to the MP, the Justice Ministry, together with a group of universities, are preparing a glossary of terms related to traditional values. However, “we need to go further,” she concluded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly referred to traditional values in his speeches, describing them as “the foundation of life” in Russian society.

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