Wives of Russian draftees gather at Putin’s campaign headquarters, calling for mobilized soldiers to return home

Members of Put Domoi (“The Way Home”), a group of mobilized soldiers’ wives, gathered at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s campaign headquarters and demanded the return of mobilized soldiers.

Judging by video recordings published by Telegram channel Sota, a few of the group’s representatives came to the campaign headquarters, where journalists were also present. Maria Andreyeva, one of the group’s members, asked when Putin would sign a demobilization decree, reports independent media iStories.

A few people present at the headquarters, either employees or visitors, engaged in a discussion with the group’s members. When Andreyeva said her husband didn’t want to be in the zone of the SVO, one of the employees responded by saying that men are “warriors, unique creatures of God” who “want to defend the homeland.” She added that, “those who didn’t like it simply didnt go there [to the military enlistment office]. Some moved abroad. Maybe he wanted to go?”

Another person, identified as an actress, told Andreyeva that her “husband is the only one who wants to come home,” and compared Russia’s war against Ukraine to the Great Patriotic War (how World War Two is known in Russia).

Prior to arriving at the headquarters, the group of mobilized soldiers’ wives held a protest at the Kremlin and placed flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. According to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti, approximately 10 employees from the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry’s Center for Combating Extremism were watching the group.