nhk world's kazunori yoshimi has more from moscow. >> reporter: vorkuta is a russian town just north of the arctic circle. at the end of the soviet era the population topped 110,000, but it's been declining ever since. >> translator: nobody wants to live here anymore. they're all disappearing. >> reporter: the streets are lined with deserted buildings. some 3,000 families used to live in this district. but now the number of households is down to 100. president vladimir putin has repeatedly stated that this threatens national security. >> translator: demographic decline is russia'most serious problem. we are facing a critical situation. the russian people need to understand that. >> reporter: for several years the russian government has responded with a campaign to raise the birth rate. it set up a modern program in the western region. yuri and maria elikhova, a young couple, last year maria gave birth to nakita, her second child. the family was rewarded with a check from the government worth approximately $12,000. the checks go out every time a family gives birth to more than one chi

nhk world's kazunori yoshimi has more from moscow. >> reporter: vorkuta is a russian town just north of the arctic circle. at the end of the soviet era the population topped 110,000, but it's been declining ever since. >> translator: nobody wants to live here anymore. they're all disappearing. >> reporter: the streets are lined with deserted buildings. some 3,000 families used to live in this district. but now the number of households is down to 100. president vladimir putin has repeatedly stated that this issue triggers national security. >> translator: demographic decline is russia's most serious problem. we are facing a critical situation. the russian people need to understand that. >> reporter: for several years the russian government has responded with a campaign to raise the birth rate. it set up a modern program in the western region. yuri and maria elikhova, a young couple, last year maria gave birth to nakita, her second child. the family was rewarded with a check from the government worth approximately $12,000. the checks go out every time a family gives birth to more than