In an unusual move, a group of women in a Moscow meeting room are publicly criticising the Russian authorities, demanding the return of their husbands who are among the 300 000 reservists mobilised by President Vladimir Putin for the war in Ukraine, on Tuesday the 23rd of January, reports the BBC.
Concerned for the well-being of their loved ones, they ask when their military duty will be considered fulfilled – after serious injury, disability or death.
The women reached out through social media and created a Telegram group called “The Way Home”. Some are supportive, while others are sceptical about the Kremlin’s actions. However, they share a common conviction, namely
that the mobilised men have done their duty and should return home.
This view is not in line with the position of the authorities, and the women, cautious in their comments, express a dissatisfaction and declining trust in the government.
Russian women who argue for the return of their mobilised husbands, sons or brothers are criticised from all sides. Opponents of the war blame men for following mobilisation orders and taking part in the war, while Kremlin supporters call these women puppets of the West.
According to the BBC, Russian MP Andrei Kartapolov has called the call for demobilisation the work of “enemies”, implying the involvement of the Ukrainian army or the CIA. He referred to the Second World War, saying that
Stalin would never have taken seriously a delegation of wives demanding that conscripted men go home.
Maria Andreeva, whose husband and cousin were sent to Ukraine, told the BBC that she found MP Kartapolov’s comments offensive, pointing out that it was inappropriate to compare the “special military operation” with the Second World War, because then Russia was attacked, but now it is the other way around.
Maria said that some people choose to ignore and not think about what is happening. Maria said that the country considered its population “just biological material”, she was quoted by the BBC.
Maria stressed that she was against a second wave of mobilisation and called on all Russian citizens to be aware of the possible impact on them and to speak out against it.
Although the possibility of a “second wave” of mobilisation in Russia remains unclear, with Putin ruling it out, the situation could change, and history proves this, for example with the partial mobilisation in 2022, writes the media outlet.
To attract public attention, Maria and other mobilised reservists’ wives, wearing white headscarves,
would go to the centre of Moscow every Saturday. They lay red carnations at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin’s Eternal Flame.
On their Telegram channel, they explain that these flowers honour the lives of loved ones and those who have died in all wars. This peaceful protest is also a way to say “never again”.
Antonina told the BBC that her husband was conscripted into the army despite health problems. Antonina claims that he was injured and that she has not heard from him since December.
Antonina also shared how her view of Vladimir Putin has changed. Despite the respect she used to have for him, she now questions Putin’s attitude towards citizens who once voted for him, writes the BCC.
Also read: Russian lawmaker flees country after calling Putin a “monster”
Follow us on Facebook and X!