Put Dumoi (Way Home), a Russian movement of mostly wives and mothers of mobilized soldiers calling for the return of their loved ones from the frontlines and an end to mobilization, has released a video plea of a soldiers widow decrying the invasion of Ukraine.The nine-minute-long video recorded by St.
Petersburg native Maria Ishkova has gathered over 25,000 views since it waspublished on Put Dumois Telegram channel late Thursday.Ishkova claimed to have recorded the video in the Moscow-occupied Ukrainian city of Berdiansk.
She traveled there to celebrate the New Year with her husband, who was called up in Russias partial military mobilization last fall and hadnt been allowed to see his family since.I came on my own to Zaporizhzhia [region] to greet the New Year with my husband, said Ishkova.Todayhis comrades called me and said that he died.What I want to tell everyone who is fighting for their beloved men [is that] there is no time left because every day can become fatal, and it most likely will.
Fight for them right in this moment, do everything possible, she continued.Ishkova said her husbands mobilization and death forced her to wake up and realize that Russians and their minimal civic engagement are to blame for what is happening today.I came to Berdianskand I want to tell you that people here dont need this [war].
Our men are dying for nothing, the widow said.Lets be more conscious, lets make our own choices, lets not close our eyes to the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are dying today [and] they are not showing this to you on television, Ishkova said.A representative for the movement told The Moscow Times that Ishkova is not ready to talk to the press right now.Put Dumoi rose to prominence in November when at least 30 of its members staged a protest in downtown Moscow to call on the Russian government to bring mobilized men back from the frontlines.The movement soon became a frequent target of attacks by propagandists and security forces, who accused its members of having ties with the West.Following a complaint by pro-Kremlin blogger Ilya Remeslo in November, Put Domois Telegram channel, which has over 38,000 followers, has been branded as fake by Telegram.Put Domoi told The Moscow Times on Friday that the post with Ishkovas video hasnt yet warranted any reaction or threats from Russian officials or its vocal backers despite containing harsh words of criticism.Maria, we send you our deepest condolences.
All our women are with you, Put Domois team said in a public comment under Ishkovas emotional video.We hope that Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] and those responsible for thousands of broken lives wont drown in the blood of our boys that will fill their elegant glasses to the brim on the New Year! May you burn in hell, they added.Some 300,000 reservists were recruited to boost Moscows troop numbers in Ukraine as part of the partial mobilization drive launched in September 2022.At least 4,787 mobilized men have been killed in Ukraine, according to an independent tally by Mediazona and BBC.
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