Is Vladimir Putin using Boyz II Men to help Russian men knock up their wives?

Vladimir Putin wants Russians to have more children so that the country can become more influential. According to The Moscow Times, he's enlisted the help of Boyz II Men. The R&B group will headline a February 6th concert in Russia and (suppposedly) Putin hopes it will serve as some, ahem, inspiration for Russian men.

As an intro to a Q&A with Boyz II Men, The Moscow Times wrote:

President Vladimir Putin's crusade to raise the country's birth rate is set to get the support of three powerful voices on its behalf.

A baritone and two tenors, that is.

The stylish trio of Boyz II Men, the most successful R&B group of all time, is coming to Moscow on Feb. 6. The group will perform a selection of their classic and new romantic ballads, hopefully giving Russian men some inspiration ahead of St. Valentine's Day.

The idea isn't as outlandish as some of the other stuff Russia has tried to increase its birth rate. Back in 'o7 they declared a Day of Conception, hoping that births would spike on the country's national day. Women who gave birth on June 12th were rewarded with refrigerators and cars.

Telegraph notes that the idea that Putin invited the group personally is pure speculation.

The Times insists that the band will be lending their "powerful voices" to Putin's fertility campaign. Whether or not the Russian kingpin personally got on the phone, tracked down their agent and demanded that they "do the show right here" is pure speculation on the newspaper's part. It's a little hard to believe … but it's also not impossible to imagine.

But, if Putin is the mastermind behind the concert, then he's a genius.