Russian Wives and Mothers Demand Return of Soldiers from Ukraine – Putin’s New Enemy

Jan 21, 2024 at 3:23 PM Update: 15 minutes ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have a new enemy in addition to Ukraine: the wives and mothers of Russian soldiers. They demand that their husbands and sons return home.

One of the women who is resisting is Maria Andreeva. Her husband was drafted into the war in Ukraine in October 2022. On Saturday she visited President Putin’s election headquarters to seek redress.

“The Ministry of Defense has spent its money,” Andreeva snapped, according to the news agency Reuters a local campaign worker. “Should everything be squeezed out of our boys, including the last bit of life?”

She visited the election headquarters along with a number of other women who are part of the group Put’ Domoi (‘The road home’). A group founded by wives and mothers of soldiers. Together they campaign to get their loved ones away from the front and back home.

In images shared on X a campaign worker can be seen trying to appease Andreeva. He is clearly not happy about that.

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Tens of thousands of women gathered in special group

According to the British newspaper The Guardian tens of thousands of women have gathered in a Telegram channel. They worry whether their men will return home in one piece and are increasingly critical of the war.

For example, Natalia, a nurse from the south of Russia, increasingly doubts the Kremlin’s official story. “Putin first lied to us that civilians would never have to fight,” she counters The Guardian. “You start to think: Is he also lying about why we are in Ukraine?”

The group and the protests are notable because criticism of the war is a criminal offense. The fact that the number of concerned women and mothers is growing is most likely due to the mobilization at the end of last year. Then Putin decided to call up at least 300,000 men to fight in and against Ukraine.

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But a small proportion of women take to the streets

Russia seems to see women as a threat. For example, agents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) were reportedly deployed in an attempt to stop the criticism. The officers are said to have interrogated soldiers whose women belong to the ‘The Way Home’ group.

According to The Washington Post military officers would even threaten to send soldiers to the front if their wives did not stop. There was even more criticism in the Telegram group. “These are the obvious methods of cowards and rats,” was one response.

Of the tens of thousands of women who belong to the group, only a small number have so far taken to the streets to protest. That’s not surprising; In Russia, open criticism of the war in Ukraine can result in years in prison.

Andreeva is willing to take that risk. That’s what she wants, according to the news agency Reuters take more action with her group because the authorities do not yet want to listen.

According to Andreeva, her husband’s absence has a major impact on her family. For example, her toddler daughter reportedly suffers from delayed speech development because she misses her father. “All the problems can only be solved by one thing: the demobilization of my husband.”

2024-01-21 14:23:00
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