Vologda governor pushes abortion and alcohol curbs

Vologda governor Georgy Filimonov has made abortion restrictions and limits on alcohol sales central to his ultra-conservative agenda as he prepares to run for United Russia in this month's parliamentary elections.

Filimonov has governed the Russian region since 2023. The former kickboxer has built a national profile with Orthodox and nationalist messaging, criticism of the West and praise for Joseph Stalin.

Women's rights advocates say abortion access in Vologda has been severely restricted. Human Rights Watch calls the situation a de facto ban. Irina Fainman, of the independent Emergency Contraceptive Stockpile Fund, told AFP there was no formal decree banning abortion, but said pressure was being placed on healthcare facilities through non-legislative and illegal measures.

Filimonov's administration says the policy is intended to improve birthrates. Fainman said it instead leads women to travel to other regions for abortions.

The governor has also made fighting alcoholism a major policy. A local law bans shops from selling alcohol outside a two-hour window of 12:00 to 14:00 on weekdays. Some residents have criticised the restriction, saying it pushes people to buy large quantities at once.

In 2024, Filimonov erected a statue of Stalin in Vologda and called the Soviet dictator an extraordinary personality. The Kremlin has not publicly objected to his approach.

Filimonov is expected to top the ruling party's ballot in the parliamentary vote, though he may later give up the seat in a common practice in which prominent candidates step aside for less well-known colleagues.