November 28, 2023

Beware the Wives and Mothers


Beware the Wives and Mothers
Military exercises. Yevgeny Kel, Wikimedia Commons

The sentiments of Russian women whose loved ones were mobilized for Russia's War on Ukraine pose a risk factor that "foreign ill-wishers" may exploit to destabilize the situation within the Russian Federation.

This assessment was conveyed during a seminar dedicated to preparing Russia for the election campaign for the March 17, 2024, presidential elections, attended by vice-governors for domestic policy and representatives of regional election commissions.

Kommersant sources urged local governments to stay in contact with these women, address their problems, and provide assistance in resolving their concerns. A source from one of the regional administrations, cited by the Russian news outlet The Insider, confirmed that working with the wives of mobilized citizens is a top priority for governors, per the presidential administration. The directive is clear: prevent protests at any cost, employing persuasion, promises, and financial incentives. The goal is to avoid any public demonstrations.

Sources from Verstka corroborated this summary, adding that the presidential administration has recommended that regional officials use various payments to pacify the wives and mothers of those mobilized.

In the past two weeks, it has been reported that close relatives of combatants have requested permission to hold rallies advocating for the rotation of mobilized citizens and the return of those serving for an extended period. However, such rallies were not approved in either Moscow or Krasnoyarsk. In Moscow, however, on November 7, approximately 20 women participated in a demonstration carrying posters with messages like "It's time for the mobilized to come home" and "No indefinite mobilization." Notably, this was part of a larger traditional rally organized by the KPRF (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) commemorating the anniversary of the October Revolution.

Novosibirsk was another city where the wives and mothers of the mobilized organized. Although the authorities did not officially approve the rally, they agreed to hold a meeting at the local House of Culture. Attendance was granted to those who filled out a special form via chat, with a cautionary note: "Prepare posters with slogans about your pain, but keep in mind that the poster must be approved at the entrance."

Apart from physical gatherings, in recent months the wives and mothers of the mobilized have orchestrated massive flash mobs publicized via social networks, facing censorship from the authorities.

Mobilization was declared on September 21, 2022, with Russian authorities reporting the mobilization of 300,000 persons. Many have already lost their lives. A recent study revealed that, on average, Russian conscripts perished in Ukraine after just four and a half months of service, and every fifth conscript did not survive for more than two months. Those who endure are obligated to continue their service.

Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, asserts that there are no provisions for the rotation of mobilized conscripts, and they are expected to return home only after the conclusion of the war.

You Might Also Like

Do Not Talk to Foreigners
  • November 19, 2023

Do Not Talk to Foreigners

The Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education is collecting personal data of students and teachers who have been in contact with foreigners.
No More Music
  • November 08, 2023

No More Music

So far this year, Yandex.Music has eradicated more than 4000 bits of content.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
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.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

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