Russia has reversed its abortion trend to witness a five-fold decrease in terminations in 25 years, according to a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, from four million a year down to 700,000 annually.

In an interview, Alexey Komov, a member of the Family Commission of the Orthodox Church as well as the advocacy group Family Policy, said that his country’s dubious international lead in terminations has steadily declined from a situation where there were more abortions than births to show a healthier ratio today of two births for every termination.

“The number of abortions in Russia decreased five-fold over the past 25 years,” he said, “from four million a year to less than 700,000 today.”

The plunge in abortion figures, Mr Komov said, was the result of a number of initiatives, designed to improve Russia’s demographic situation as well as tackling the terminations figures.

“Over the past years we have adopted a set of provisions and laws in support of the values of the family and birth,” he explained. “For example, for every second child the state grants the equivalent of 10 thousand dollars to the family.”

Among the initiatives lauded by Mr Komov is the law of 2011 which banned abortion after 12 weeks gestation coupled with a waiting period of two to seven days for a women seeking a termination. In 2013, the Russian government enacted a law banning all advertising for abortion services.

The Russian Orthodox Church continues to lobby for even tighter restrictions. In February, the Church’s leader, Patriarch Kirill, used the occasion of his first address to the Duma, the state parliament, in moder Russian history, to champion the pro-life cause and calling for an end to funding for abortion.

“If we could just cut in half the number of abortions, there would be steady and powerful demographic growth,” he insisted.