Russian Soldiers' Wives Protest Against Putin: 'We Got Screwed!'

The wives of Russian men drafted under President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization last year have published an appeal criticizing the Kremlin for betraying its own people and making empty promises.

The soldiers' relatives, who have actively been demanding that their men be allowed home, published the appeal on the Telegram channel The Way Home on November 27. Earlier this month, the group called for there to be mass protests amid reports that soldiers are being prohibited from leaving the military. Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment via email.

Putin announced a partial mobilization of the population in the fall of 2022. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia would be targeting 300,000 reservists and ex-military personnel with certain military specialties and relevant experience.

"Multinational people of Russia! This is an appeal to everyone, or rather a plea for help. Our tragedy is unfolding right before your eyes, which we cannot bear alone!" the message from the soldiers' relatives began. The appeal added that the Russian public have been "betrayed and exterminated by our own people."

"We got screwed and you're screwed. We remember how the president promised that reservists would not be called up, that tasks in [Ukraine] were performed only by professional volunteers. And then our loved ones were taken to Ukraine," the message said. "The promises turned out to be empty. Many will never return. Mobilization turned out to be a terrible mistake," the group added.

The RAND Corporation, an American think tank and research institute, said in a report in June that Russian personnel fighting in Ukraine have not been allowed to leave the military since Putin's decree. None would be permitted to leave until the period of partial mobilization is ended by another decree, the think tank added.

"Currently, the only ways out—apart from death in combat—are reaching mandatory retirement age, medical discharge or imprisonment. Some soldiers have taken matters into their own hands by deserting," the RAND Corporation said.

"Indefinite deployment and inadequate rest and rotation, due to a shortage of soldiers, mean that Russian soldiers endure prolonged exposure to combat stress, which intensifies feelings of resentment and helplessness," the think tank added.

State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov said in September that Russian men drafted for the war won't be rotated out of Ukraine until the so-called "special military operation" is complete.

The wives of the mobilized men described the current situation as absurd. "The President declared 2024 the year of the family. Ironic, considering that wives are howling without their husbands, children are growing up without fathers, and many are already orphans," the message said.

The group previously accused the Kremlin of treating "military personnel as consumables" and called the treatment of mobilized soldiers at present as akin to "legalized slavery." Newsweek has yet to verify such claims.

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