Russian party gifts 'meat grinders' to mothers of fallen soldiers
Local politicians from United Russia, the ruling party, gave mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine meat grinders. This idea was conceived by party activists in the Murmansk region in northwestern Russia, as reported by the independent portal Mediazona, which cited a statement from the group on social media.
The gifts were given on the occasion of International Women's Day as part of the "flowers for mothers of heroes" campaign. Photos published by the donors show that women were also given grills and bread makers, reported Mediazona.
The Russian military command has been using a tactic known as the "meat grinder" since World War II. This strategy involves attempting to overwhelm the enemy with a large number of soldiers, even at the cost of immediate and significant losses. Therefore, many commentators believe that gifting such presents to the mothers of soldiers who have fallen on the front lines is inappropriate.
After media coverage and unfavorable comments on the internet, the campaign's initiators appealed to the public "not to promote inhuman and provocative interpretations" concerning the gifts.
They also posted on social networks a statement from one of the mothers, explaining that she herself had asked for a grinder. Politicians also argued that they provide families of veterans and the fallen with "support and assistance, with respect and understanding."
Thousands of fallen Russian soldiers
The BBC and the Russian independent portal Mediazona verified 90,000 deaths of Russian soldiers since the attack on Ukraine in 2022. Experts estimate that the total number of casualties ranges from 159,000 to 223,000.
As the BBC notes, Moscow rarely comments on its losses in the so-called special military operation. However, data collected by volunteers indicate that 15,300 prisoners, 20,600 volunteers, 15,600 contract soldiers, 10,500 mobilized soldiers, and 2,400 mercenaries have died.
The average age of the fallen last year was 36, which is older than in the first two years of the war. The most casualties came from the republics of Bashkortostan (3,932) and Tatarstan (3,804). The BBC reports that among the fallen from Bashkortostan, eight out of ten came from small communities: villages or towns with less than 100,000 residents.
It is estimated that the verified numbers represent only half of the actual number of casualties. This means that in reality, between 135,000 and 200,000 Russian soldiers have died.
