Bizarre scenes unfolded on Friday at the residence of the Russian ruler: on the occasion of Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in Russia this Sunday, Vladimir Putin invited selected women whose sons died in the war in Ukraine. A woman told the supposed heroic story of her son – who had already fallen in 2019. Putin sips his tea (see video above). Given the recordings, doubts quickly arose on social media about the authenticity of the soldiers’ mothers.
Russian state media released a short video on Friday showing Putin receiving and handing over teacups to more than a dozen select women at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow region. According to official information, a total of 17 women traveled from different regions of Russia and from areas of eastern Ukraine illegally annexed by Moscow.
Real soldier moms?
On social media, it was quickly doubted whether the women are what they claim to be. A “mom” has apparently met Putin before – and always wore the same outfit. Another woman sitting at the table with Putin in the video is an official of Putin’s All-Russia Popular Front, according to Russia expert Ian Garner on Twitter (see below).
An elderly woman showed the photo of her deceased son. When the enemy approached, he jumped out of the trenches and asked them to shoot him. His last words were “Let’s go guys chop up Ukrops!” Ukrops is a derogatory Russian slang term for Ukrainians.
Comparison with road fatalities
The man in question was killed in 2019 in eastern Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. He knew what he was giving his life for, Putin told his mother. In Russia there are about 30,000 road deaths and the same number of alcohol-related deaths every year. “The most important thing is that we are all mortal, that we are in God’s hands and that we will eventually die of this world. The question is how we lived,” the TASS agency quoted the Kremlin head as saying. “And her son lived. He has accomplished his goal.”
More clips have been put online. In one, Putin claims to be on the phone with soldiers who wouldn’t expect it. They “surprised” them with their good mood, the Russian ruler claimed.
In recent weeks, there have been increasing reports of grossly underequipped recruits and poor morale among the troops. Critics complain that the Kremlin uses poorly trained men as cannon fodder in a hopeless war. According to current estimates by the British secret services, a large number of the Russian reservists who have been called up have already died in Ukraine.
Mobilization very unpopular
In the face of military defeats, some 300,000 reservists have been called up to the fighting in Ukraine since late September on Putin’s orders. The partial mobilization proved to be an extremely unpopular measure, sparking a mass exodus in Russia and the largest anti-war protests in months. The demonstrations were often organized by wives and mothers of soldiers.
At the meeting, Putin renewed his criticism of the West and the perceived dominant gender ideology there. “In many places you don’t know what mom means anymore.” There is ‘older 1 and older 2’, the different sexes are counted by the dozen, the 70-year-old claimed. “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it seemed to many of us that the sweet life began, that we would live like in Paris.” But now many in Russia no longer wanted to live like in Paris, because Russian culture is different, Putin said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
