Her reasoning that she didn't want to have a child with him because his age would produce an unhealthy child, is bullshit. Sperm lives in testicles for only 3 months. Then fresh swimmers newly recreate and it's off to the races again.
You are absolutely correct, Bliss. Your understanding of the situation is impeccable. If the mother is young, the baby comes out healthy the majority of the time. She knew the old man would die in the near future, so she would rather not become a single mother. The male-female ratio in Russia was out of whack before the war, and now thousands more men are lost in Ukraine, making a dire situation even worse. No wonder these supermodel Russian babes are dating old men or any man. Lucky you, American women.