Health Minister Tatyana Golikova says new data suggest that Russia’s population did not decline this past year, and advised that Russia could boost its birthrate by 20-30% by reducing its high number of abortions – 2008 saw one abortion for over two thirds of every birth.  Two demonstrations will be held today to mark the anniversary of the murders of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, after authorities reversed an initial decision rejecting a request to allow the gatherings to go ahead.  Activist Roman Zamurayev is currently being tried on grounds that his voting leaflet, containing the fragment ‘if you are a person and not only an organism‘, constitutes hate speech.  The St Petersburg NGO, Soldiers’ Mothers, says two Russian conscripts died last month as a result of failing to receive proper medical care. ‘They said some soldiers received onions in lieu of medicine.‘  Alexander Golts writes on Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s order that Russia’s military leadership must create a code of honor: ‘They never tire of waxing eloquent about recruits who selflessly defend the Motherland, but in reality it is an army in which officers often treat recruits like serfs. Unfortunately, even the most brilliantly conceived and accurately worded honor code cannot change this environment.‘