Support The Moscow Times!

Mobilized Soldiers' Relatives Call for Russian Officials' Sons to Replace Their Loved Ones

Put Domoi / Telegram

Relatives of mobilized Russian soldiers campaigning for their loved ones' return from Ukraine have called on the authorities to replace these men with the sons of Russian officials and media personalities.

“We demand to replace our men with other quite specific men: the children and husbands of those who tell our citizens from the screens that war is good,” the Put Domoi (“Way Home”) movement, which has organized women-led protests across the country calling for a full demobilization, wrote on its Telegram channel Friday.

“We can make a list long enough to replace every mobilized person,” the statement said.

The list includes the sons of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin-loyal TV host Vladimir Solovyev and former President Dmitry Medvedev.

“Something tells us that such a rotation will quickly put an end to all hostilities,” Put Domoi said.

Earlier this month, a group of women staged a protest outside the Defense Ministry building in Moscow, demanding the return of those mobilized and a meeting with new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.

Russia mobilized 300,000 reservists for the war in Ukraine in September and October 2022 and many have not returned home since.

At least 6,456 of these mobilized men have been killed on the front lines, according to an independent tally conducted by the BBC’s Russian service and the independent Mediazona news website. The real number is believed to be higher.

Russia last month labeled Put Domoi and one of the movement’s leaders, Maria Andreyeva, as “foreign agents.”

The women had previously been allowed to stage weekly protests in central Moscow, with authorities seemingly unwilling to antagonize relatives of men fighting in Ukraine.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more