@Djeep
I doubt there is much "truth" in that story.
I'd trust a source like this before the WSJ
https://www.populationpyramid.net/russian-federation/2023/
You can go back a couple years to see the total population & the numbers in each band.
Compare that with
https://www.populationpyramid.net/ukraine/2023/
which shows a huge drop in total population and in the ages most likely going to war.