Wives of Russians mobilized to fight in Ukraine symbolically laid flowers on the flame of the Unknown Soldier beneath the walls of the Kremlin on Saturday as a sign of protest to demand the return of their husbands from the front.
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For months, anger has been growing among those close to the reservists mobilized on Vladimir Putin's orders in September 2022 – a sensitive issue for authorities, who have so far been careful not to suppress this emerging rebellious movement.
On Saturday there were about fifteen people who, despite the cold, laid red flowers at this important symbol in the heart of Moscow.
“We want to make the authorities and the public aware of our appeal. We tried different remedies. We sent a written appeal to deputies, officials and administrations, but we were not heard,” Maria, a 47-year-old sales manager, told AFP.
Her husband was mobilized in November 2022, more than a year ago. “It’s not fair. “These are civilians, they’re not soldiers,” she pleads, adding: “Our men can’t stay there that long.”
For her part, Maria Semionova, legal advisor, calls on the authorities to “negotiate peace” in Ukraine after two years of conflict.
Police did not see fit to intervene in the action of these women mobilized on Saturday, even though any start of a protest in Russia is usually heavily repressed, a sign that the issue is sensitive for the Kremlin.
AFP
Paulina, mother of a one-year-old child, emphasizes that her action is “the only peaceful action that has not yet been banned by law.”
“I feel like we are bothering them. But no one will be silent. “We will go out every day, every Saturday we will put flowers” to raise awareness of their situation, she continues.
“At some point it will be impossible to ignore us,” says the woman who wants to “find her husband, the father of her child.”
The activism of mobilized women has been largely ignored by Russian state media as the Kremlin seeks to project an image of unity around Mr Putin ahead of his inevitable re-election in the March 2024 presidential election.
According to Vladimir Putin, 244,000 mobilized troops are currently fighting in Ukraine with a total strength of 617,000 men.