Russian wives and mothers call on Putin to stop sending mobilized men ‘to the slaughter’
A group of Russian wives and mothers have called on President Vladimir Putin to stop sending their husbands and sons “to the slaughter” by forcing them to join assault groups without adequate training or supplies.
In a video shared by the independent Russian Telegram channel SOTA, the women said their loved ones had been “forced to join assault groups” at the beginning of March despite having just four days training since their mobilization in September.
The video shows the women holding a sign in Russian that reads, “580 Separate Howitzer Artillery Division,” dated March 11, 2023.
“My husband… is located on the line of contact with the enemy,” says one woman in the recording.
“Our mobilized [men] are being sent like lambs to the slaughter to storm fortified areas – five at a time, against 100 heavily armed enemy men,” she continued.
Vladimir Maraktaev, 23, and a 30-year-old man who asked to be identified as Andrey are among the five Russians who arrived at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport seeking refugee status after receiving their draft notice, but remain in limbo on January 24, 2023 in Incheon, South Korea.
“We ran away from Russia because we want to live,” one man, who asked not to be identified to protect loved ones left behind, previously told CNN. “We are afraid that we can be sent to Ukraine.”
Families of drafted Russian men have criticized the mobilization, saying it is beset by problems such as discipline issues and lack of leadership from mid-ranking officers, non-existent training as well as logistical difficulties like insufficient uniforms, poor food and a lack of medical supplies
