The Russian Ministry of Justice has added the movement to its extensive blacklist of foreign agents. Way home —Put Domói, in Russian—a group that until now had been difficult for the Kremlin to pursue due to its close ties to the troops supporting its war. It is made up of the women—and to a lesser extent mothers—of the civilians who were mobilized to the war front in Ukraine and want their men to return home. The authorities have accused this platform and one of its leaders, Yekaterina Gordeyeva, of spreading “inaccurate information” about the war. “We will not stop, our loved ones are still in danger of death with this Government of patriots“, the wives have warned through a statement.
The foreign agent label has nothing to do with the US law of the same name. With this legislation, the Kremlin can designate any entity or person that differs from the official line and create a dangerous aura: the punishment includes a total veto of political activity and some jobs, although it can even involve fines and the closure of the organization. persecuted
This protest began with a small group of women and mothers of combatants united by the desire for their partners or children to return home. Their journey began at the end of last summer and little by little they gained more support until they became a real threat to the Government. His Telegram channel has more than 50,000 followers today.
The authorities accuse these women of “creating a negative image of Russia” and calling on citizens to participate in unauthorized protests. Unlike other acts against the war in Ukraine or the persecution of dissident Alexei Navalny, the wives of those mobilized have not been arrested when they have gathered in front of military monuments to demand with flowers that their husbands return home. The crux for the Kremlin is that his arrest would further strain the rope with the military, which in the space of a year has already seen an attempted military rebellion and a purge in the high command.
Sources from the group have reported to this newspaper that some participants have been threatened in recent months. According to this version, the Federal Security Service (FSB) went, on the one hand, to the houses where the women were and, on the other, asked their husbands deployed in Ukraine by the organization. Put Domói. Some of them have even gone so far as to delete their contact on Telegram.
“What will be next? “Will they designate as foreign agents the soldiers, both mobilized and contracted, who complain about non-payments or uniforms?” the wife platform asked on its social networks this Monday. “Now we are on the list of members of the culture. Actors, musicians, writers. Let’s congratulate each other, or something like that,” she added ironically.
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President Vladimir Putin decreed his first forced mobilization in September 2022. The Ministry of Defense claimed to have recruited 300,000 soldiers, although this figure has been completed with the enlistment of volunteers whom the Kremlin attracts with salaries of 200,000 rubles per month, about 2,000 euros, which is almost quadruple what an average Russian earns.
The head of the Kremlin said in December last year that some 617,000 Russian fighters are deployed sine die in Ukraine. In fact, Putin never published a second decree that officially closed his first mobilization and those called up do not know when they will return home: Moscow is preparing for a long war and has strictly prohibited the demobilization of its troops until the fighting is over.
“Please bring dad home,” a mother and her son begged with a sign at the doors of the Ministry of Defense this Monday. “Establish a term of service for the soldiers of the special military operation,” cried another. A dozen women gathered in front of the army headquarters for almost an hour to request a meeting with the new Minister of Defense, Andrei Belousov, and only left the place after statements from a senior army official that they would be heard. The previous head of the Armed Forces, Sergei Shoigu, made the same promise half a year ago, but did not keep his word.
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