Russian soldiers’ wives protest in Moscow against Putin’s war Ukraine-Russia war

Radio Free Europe reported yesterday that dozens of women took to the streets to participate in the protest, which lasted only five minutes before “the police arrived at the scene and ordered the work to stop.”

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, protests have increased across Russia. These anti-war demonstrations quickly faded away after Russian officials cracked down on any form of deviant behavior. Russian President Vladimir Putin even signed a law making it a crime for Russian media or citizens to “knowingly” spread false information about the war that the Kremlin considers false. Penalties range from a fine to imprisonment for up to fifteen years.

The independent Russian news site Important Stories wrote that demonstrators on Tuesday asked for permission to protest. Their application was rejected on the grounds of “Covid-19 restrictions”. The family members decided to protest in Theater Square in central Moscow, where at the same time a group of communists was gathering to celebrate the 106th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Wives and relatives of Russian soldiers have also often expressed their frustration on social media about the war and the way their commanders treat their relatives. For example, last month relatives of Russian troops posted a video on Telegram calling on Putin to remove their loved ones from the front lines. One of the speakers in the video said that a battalion from their area “suffered heavy losses.” She added: “Every minute we receive information about injuries and deaths.”