From here:
Russia Sets Out to Tackle '2003 Problem
[Editor's Note: This important short article was brought to my attention by a friend in Austria who found the Sept. 13 Reuters article on an economic discussion board. Boris Gryzlov, leader of Russia's Unity faction let the cat out of the bag when he told reporter Shukshin that Russia would "have to deal in 2003 with a massive population shrinkage." President Putin himself was quoted as saying that the '"anticipated chain of disasters due to hit the country in 2003" were "...a serious threat for the existence, I want to stress this, for the existence of Russia". The very next day, the story was substantially 'sanitized' and converted into a ho hum, crumbling infrastructure cover story, with Putin's remarks completely removed from the story...Ken Adachi].
by Andrei Shukshin, Reuters,
Sept. 13, 2000
http://educate-yourself.org/cnrussia2003problem26aug01.html
Russia's Parliamentary leaders and President Vladimir Putin agreed Wednesday to embark on a three-year crash course to thwart what they said was an anticipated chain of disasters due to hit the country in 2003. "(These are) issues of extraordinary importance, strategic issues which may degenerate into a serious threat for the existence, I want to stress this, for the existence of Russia," former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov told reporters. Pro-Kremlin Party Brought Up The 2003 Problem Boris Gryzlov, leader of the pro-Kremlin Unity faction which was the first to raise the issue, said Russia would also have to deal in 2003 with a massive population shrinkage. Gryzlov said the problems had already been discussed with cabinet ministers and the parliamentarians had agreed with Putin to set up a commission to tackle the issue head-on. "The question was discussed at length and the president approved our initiative and said he would dispatch representatives of his administration to the working group," Gryzlov said after the Kremlin meeting.
Massive population shrinkage? Very strange. Maybe it's just political bluster. It may not be, though.