Ukraine's birth rate has slid to record lows, a fall researchers have described as catastrophic. The finding comes from a study whose details were released publicly, charting how few children the country is now producing. Demographers have tracked the decline for years, but wartime conditions have deepened the slide. Many couples have set aside plans for children while shelling continues and men are posted to the front. Millions of Ukrainians have gone abroad since the invasion, and a large share of them are women of childbearing age. Fewer births on this scale can thin out the population for decades, experts warn. The authorities now face the task of supporting families who see little certainty in the future. The study's authors argue that recovery depends on lasting stability first.