September 26, 2024

Another Year, No Signs of Their Husbands


Another Year, No Signs of Their Husbands
Wives and daughters protest in front of the Ministry of Defense holding signs reading "Demobilization" and "Bring dad back, I have been waiting two years." Paulina /Mobilizatsia i Lyudi, Telegram.

On September 21, wives of mobilized soldiers commemorated a grim date. They gathered in front of the Ministry of Defense building in Moscow to protest the second anniversary of the "partial mobilization" of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The wives of the drafted men have long advocated for their return from the front and protested the "indefinite mobilization" of their husbands. One of the most vocal members, Maria Andreyeva, was declared a foreign agent in May.

On September 20, the Telegram channel Put' Domoy (The Way Home), which advocates for the wives of mobilized soldiers, announced the women would go to the Ministry of Defense to ask for the demobilization of their loved ones. Soon after, participants of the movement got warnings from police.

On September 21, twenty women attended the protest with signs reading "Demobilization" and "Bring dad back home, I have been waiting for two years." They were not alone for long. Agitators approached and began recording the protesters, shoving phones in their faces. One of the wives was filmed saying, "You are violating the personal limits of the Ministry of Defense," while the men insulted her. In another video, a passerby tells the women they were paid to protest for their husbands.  Regardless, the Telegram channel Paulina / Mobilizatsia i Lyudi (Paulina / Mobilization and People) announced that the women planned to spend the night in front of the Ministry of Defense.

Before the protest, two journalists from SotaVision, Maxim Seramush and Denis Panteleyev, were detained in front of the Ministry of Defense. They were released shortly after and given "warnings."

Prospects for the return of the soldiers mobilized in September 2022 are still grim. In the fall of 2023, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Kartapolov, said the soldiers drafted in September 2022 would not return until the completion of the "special military operation." President Vladimir Putin confirmed that the draft decree did not include rotation terms.

Meanwhile, many convicted felons who signed contracts with the military have been allowed to return home. 

You Might Also Like

One Country, Two Wars
  • September 16, 2023

One Country, Two Wars

The Kremlin is currently conducting not one, but two horrific wars.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955