Wives of mobilized Russians demand action outside the defense ministry

Wives and relatives of mobilized Russians gathered outside the Ministry of National Defense building, reported Paulina Safronova on her Telegram channel. The group is demanding a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov to discuss the return of their loved ones from the front.

Many pieces of information provided by Russian media or government representatives are elements of propaganda. Such reports are part of the Russian Federation's information war.

Many women came with children, and some brought tents and rugs. In one of the recordings, they say that if Belousov does not meet with them, they will spend the night in front of the defense ministry building. Residents brought water and food for the activists, reported Safronova.

So far, the relatives of the mobilized soldiers have not managed to meet with Belousov, but their activities have attracted the attention of the Russian authorities. A group of women pretending to be relatives of participants in the invasion of Ukraine came to the site and organized provocations. Additionally, Safronova began receiving threats and insults in her messages from war-supporting Russians.

"You are a complete sc***m. You bring shame to your homeland. You sold yourself for foreign money. You are using your child for personal gain. B***h. Such a mother should have her child taken away," wrote one of the Telegram users to the activist, who immediately blocked her, apparently wanting to avoid a confrontation.

Earlier, a similar action was carried out by the wives and mothers of the mobilized at the beginning of June at the Ministry of National Defense building. At that time, the women also demanded a meeting with the head of the ministry. They wanted to present demands to bring their loved ones back from the front and to establish "service conditions in the Northern Military District." At the same time, none of the participants in the picket demanded that Russia stop the war in Ukraine. The defense minister did not meet with the protesters then either.

Instead of Belousov, Colonel General Borisenko met with the women and stated that their husbands would serve until the war's end in Ukraine. He accused the protesting wives of "deliberate provocation" and giving fodder to the opposition.

More radical demands are put forward by activists in the "Road to Home" movement. "We demand that specific other men replace our loved ones. Sons and husbands of those who convince our citizens from screens that war is good, who talk with a predatory smile about the possibility of a nuclear attack, who consider it an honor to die for the bloody goals of a handful of crazy old men," they wrote on their Telegram channel.

At the end of May, the Russian Ministry of Justice recognized the "Road to Home" movement as a "foreign agent." According to the ministry, the organization disseminated "false information intended to create a negative image" of Russia and its armed forces, as well as materials from "foreign agents."

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice accused the wives of the mobilization of calling for participation in illegal activities and disseminating "unreliable information" about the decisions and policies of the Russian authorities.

Paulina Safronova distances herself from the "Road to Home" movement.