Kremlin stifles soldier wives protest while escalating support for Iran, reveals ISW study

The American institute takes note of the impactful social movements of Russian soldiers' relatives in the late 80s and early 90s, which Soviet leaders faced firsthand. The Kremlin likely aims to pre-emptively censor and discredit similar uprisings before they develop the ability to exert comparable influence.

The ISW suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have learned valuable lessons from the past shortcomings of the Soviet Union in imposing total censorship on soldiers' relatives. In a shift of approach, Putin might now be implementing selective censorship and discreditation strategies to curtail these movements before they gather momentum.

The American think-tank also underscores that the Kremlin is escalating its backing for Iran. This is illustrated by the statement made by the Russian foreign ministry on Saturday, decrying the retaliatory strikes on targets backed by Iran's militias in Iraq and Syria, conducted by the US on Friday.

As the ISW highlights, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, branded the American strikes as an overt display of American-British aggression, arguing that these actions demonstrate an aggressive US policy and total disregard for international law.

Zakharova also admonished the UK for its involvement in Saturday's attack on Houthi entities in Yemen, and stated that London has yet to answer for its enthusiastic support of US provocative policy.

According to ISW analysts, Russia frequently references international law in an attempt to challenge the legitimacy of US moves in the Middle East.