Protesters: “Soldiers deployed a year ago must return”
Threatening and cajoling government authorities… Gathering restrictions, warning of punishment
Chairman of the National Defense Commission: “Soldiers will return home after completing the operation.”
Russian women are protesting in several cities, challenging government claims that troops are needed for indefinite fighting in Ukraine.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 27th (local time), a video was posted online of a woman at a rally held in Novosibirsk, Russia on the 19th, saying, “Soldiers who were mobilized to fight in Ukraine a year ago should return home.” It was revealed.
The woman said, “If he truly shed his blood for his country, it would be time to return to his family and give his place to someone else, but this is not happening.”
Behind the woman in the video, a handwritten poster appeared with the slogan, “Only those who are mobilized have a homeland.”
On the 7th, about 20 protesters in Moscow unfurled posters with slogans such as “Oppose indefinite mobilization” at a Communist Party rally. The police arrested them but did not detain them.
Maria Andreeva, who helped organize the Moscow protests, said the government responded by providing more money and benefits to military families. “The government has promised to give us more money, but that will only happen if we remain silent,” he said. He emphasized, “Many women need a husband and a son, not money.”
“Our soldiers are already physically and mentally exhausted there,” Andreeva said. “Enough is enough! “We must act!”
The rally held in Novosibirsk, organized by another organization, was carried out through compromise between the organizers and local authorities. Instead of holding street protests, local civilians and military officials gathered at a government auditorium. Most media access was banned, and rally participants had to prove that they had relatives serving in Ukraine.
The protest movement is also taking place online. More than 14,650 people participated in the Telegram messaging app channel called ‘Way Home’, which was opened last September.
The channel’s operators issued a statement calling for Russian soldiers to return home after spending a year in combat zones. “Soldiers and their families, unite and fight for your rights,” the statement reads in part.
This popular movement is a rare example of Russian public discontent with the war, which the Kremlin has tried to suppress with strict laws. The NYT reported that a subtle war of nerves is continuing between women and government officials as protesters try to avoid enacting the law while authorities try to avoid sending families of active-duty soldiers to prison.
Russian authorities have so far used threats and appeasement rather than detention or arrest. Some people said law enforcement officers visited their homes to ask about their online activities and warned them they could face legal consequences if they attended unauthorized gatherings.
Authorities also denied permission to hold rallies in major cities. Authorities in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk recently rejected requests for permission for gatherings, citing restrictions on public gatherings put in place to combat COVID-19.
Last September, the Russian government implemented the so-called ‘partial mobilization order’ to call up 300,000 troops and announced that conscripted soldiers must remain in the military until President Putin decides to discharge them.
The Russian government says more than 410,000 men signed enlistment contracts this year, but is dismissing calls from families to disband those who were conscripted last year.
In September, Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the parliament’s defense committee, said there would be no rotation of troops in Ukraine and that “they will return home after the completion of special military operations.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.