The final plenary session of the regional demographic forum was held in Ulyanovsk on January 22, 2026. The forum was organized by the Simbirsk Diocese, the Government of the Ulyanovsk Region and the regional branch of the World Russian People's Council.
The forum was attended by the Governor of the Ulyanovsk region Alexey Russian. In his welcoming speech, he thanked Metropolitan Longin of Simbirsk and Novospassky and the Simbirsk Diocese for the initiative to hold the forum. A.Y. Russian noted that thanks to the joint work of psychologists and social protection specialists in 2025, 37% of women who came to public clinics for an abortion remained pregnant. 
Dmitry Batrakov, Minister of Social Development of the Ulyanovsk Region, moderated the plenary session. Emphasizing the relevance of the forum's topic, he cited the following figures: "Currently, about 1 million 150 thousand people live in the region, of which about 570 thousand are of working age. And there are only about 150 thousand families with children in the Ulyanovsk region, just over 17 thousand of them have many children. Every fourth able-bodied person does not have a family. And our task is to make sure that there are twice as many families with children in the region, and the number of large families is more than 30 thousand families. Then we can talk about the development of the region."
"The heart of every sane person who loves his Fatherland feels acute pain at the thought that our people may simply disappear from the face of the earth. The Russian Orthodox Church, represented by all its representatives at all levels — from parish priests to the Patriarch — speaks of the need to make every effort to change this situation," Metropolitan Longin said in his speech at the forum. — Extraordinary measures are needed — legal, economic, social — aimed at supporting the family, affirming family values, and encouraging large families. The family must be protected and nurtured like a rare plant, and protected by all available means and methods," His Holiness the Patriarch emphasizes in all his speeches. In order for a family to have children, a modern person needs a lot. First of all, confidence in the future, accessibility of housing for young families, and high-quality medical care, especially in the field of women's health and obstetric care. We all understand that the problem needs to be solved comprehensively. However, there is another important and sensitive area — the state of the soul of a modern person, a kind of clouding of moral consciousness, oblivion of the very foundations of normal and correct human existence. It is necessary to remind our contemporaries that having children and raising children is the meaning of family life and human existence itself."
Metropolitan Longin said that four private clinics in Ulyanovsk had refused to perform abortions, and thanked their leaders and staff, and also spoke about the projects of the diocese and parishes aimed at supporting families, helping pregnant women and protecting the lives of unborn children.
"As our President has said more than once, a large family should become the norm of our society. In a large family, and our youth should be aware of this, there is a genuine realization of a person. We can cite the example of many of our public figures and politicians — they do not shut themselves off from society, on the contrary, having children reveals their full human potential. We realize ourselves in love as children of our loving Heavenly Father. Family is a school of love," said the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood, Priest Theodor Lukyanov. The priest made a presentation "On a systematic approach to the protection of motherhood and childhood in the framework of preserving the reproductive potential of women."
The Regional Demographic Forum was held in Ulyanovsk on January 20-22. Within the framework of the forum, meetings were held in educational institutions of the regional center with the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood, Priest Theodor Lukyanov. Natalia Moskvitina, President of the Women for Life Foundation, member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, presenter of the Spas TV channel, conducted a public inspection of two women's clinics in Ulyanovsk.
The guests of the forum held a round table at the St. Andrew the Apostle City Clinical Hospital with the participation of chief physicians of regional public health institutions, heads of private medical organizations and social psychologists.
A number of other sections of the forum were held in support of family and traditional values.