Russian forces can freeze sperm for free: Reports

Russian forces can store frozen sperm in a cryobank for free, according to a Russian lawyer. Igor Trunov, the head of the Russian Union of Lawyers, said that the health ministry responded to his appeal for a free cryobank.

According to the lawyer, the soldiers can go to clinics to have their sperm frozen. Russia’s health ministry responded to his appeal and said that the soldiers can avail of those services.

The demand for sperm freezing first emerged in October, according to the BBC. Russia’s Moskovskij Komsomolets newspaper also claimed that there had been a surge in sperm freezing after Russian President Vladimir Putin called Russian soldiers to support the war in Ukraine.

BBC’s Russian correspondent Steve Rosenberg earlier reported that healthy men wanted to freeze their sperm because they wanted the possibility of being a father in the future.

The US (United States) General, Mark Milley, said that around 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

In September, Putin called up more than 300,000 reservists to support the war in Ukraine. Many Russian men also left the country after the announcement. 

According to Ukraine, Russian forces recently fired around 33 rockets at civilian targets in Kherson. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that Russia was using the cold in the winter season as a "weapon of mass destruction" by targeting the energy infrastructure in Ukraine with missile strikes.

Last month, Russian shelling hit a humanitarian aid distribution center in Orihiv, killing a volunteer and injuring several others. Due to increasing shelling, many people were left without electricity and water across Ukraine.

This month, Zelenskyy called on Western countries to beef up Ukraine's air defenses amid the ongoing war. Western countries also pledged to support Ukraine.