Wives of Russians mobilized to fight in Ukraine symbolically placed flowers on Saturday on the flame of the unknown soldier under the walls of the Kremlin, as a sign of protest, to demand the return of their husbands from the front. Anger has been growing for months among relatives of the reservists mobilized on the orders of Vladimir Putin in September 2022, a sensitive subject for the authorities who have until now been careful not to repress this nascent rebellious movement. On Saturday, there were around fifteen of them, despite the cold, placing red flowers on this important symbol in the heart of Moscow.
“No one will stay silent”
“We want to draw the attention of the authorities and the public to our appeal. We tried several means. We launched a written appeal to deputies, officials, administrations, but we were not heard”, explained to AFP Maria, 47-year-old sales director. Her husband was mobilized in November 2022, more than a year ago. “It’s not fair. They’re civilians, they’re not soldiers,” she pleads, before adding: “Our men can’t stay there that long.”
Maria Semionova, legal assistance, for her part calls on the authorities to “negotiate peace” in Ukraine, after two years of conflict. The police did not see fit to interfere in the action of these mobilized women on Saturday, although any start of protest is usually severely repressed in Russia, a sign that the issue is delicate for the Kremlin. Paulina, mother of a one-year-old child, emphasizes that their action is “the only peaceful action that has not yet been prohibited by law.”
“I have the impression that we are disturbing them. But no one will remain silent. We will go out every day, every Saturday, we will lay flowers” to draw attention to their situation, she continues. “At some point, it will be impossible to ignore us,” says the one who wants “to find (her) husband, the father of (her) child.” The activism of mobilized women has been largely ignored by Russian state media, while the Kremlin is keen to display an image of unity around Vladimir Putin before his inevitable re-election in the March 2024 presidential election. According to Vladimir Putin , 244,000 mobilized troops are currently fighting in Ukraine out of a total force of 617,000 men.