Putin Staged Meeting With Mothers Of Russian Soldiers: Russian President Vladimir Putin held a roundtable discussion with mothers of soldiers this week, expressing sympathy to families who have lost children fighting in Ukraine.
“We share your pain,” Putin told the mothers, some of whom have lost sons in the war in Ukraine.
The meeting took place on Friday at the president’s state residence located near Moscow, and unlike recent meetings with world leaders, Putin did not appear at the opposite end of a long table. Instead, the president sat alongside the mothers and engaged in intimate conversations with each mother.
Putin told one mother that her son did not die in vain and had “achieved his goal” in Ukraine, and even admitted that some mistakes had been made during the process of mobilizing reservists. However, the mothers present at the discussion appear to have been hand-picked to ensure any embarrassing criticism of the president and his struggling war effort.
Putin and His Meeting on Ukraine
In a Twitter thread, historian Ian Garner noted that many of the mothers seen meeting with the Russian president were no strangers to the Kremlin.
Many of the mothers at the table had, in fact, met Putin on many occasions before.
Here’s another super regular mom meeting lovely Vladimir. Just another ordinary hockey mom who also happens to be the head of the “For Russia People’s Front,” a state-linked ‘activist’ group. pic.twitter.com/3hYK7fL8h9
— Dr. Ian Garner (@irgarner) November 25, 2022
Citing a report from NEXTA, an eastern European media outlet, Garner shared photographs of one mother who appears to have a special outfit she uses specifically for meeting with the Russian president.
“@nexta_tv points out that one of these mothers even seems to have a special outfit just for meeting Putin. Because she seems to meet him on the regular,” Garner notes.
@nexta_tv points out that one of these mothers even seems to have a special outfit just for meeting Putin. Because she seems to meet him on the regular. pic.twitter.com/HULkOCwgw9
— Dr. Ian Garner (@irgarner) November 25, 2022
The woman in the video is pictured alongside Putin in other events wearing the same lace collar.
Another woman who appeared alongside Putin in the roundtable discussion also appears to be the leader of the “For Russia People’s Front,” an activist organization linked to the Kremlin.
What Was the Purpose of the Meeting?
Putin is unlikely to meet many other mothers of soldiers who aren’t already committed to his war in Ukraine.
Western intelligence and intercepted Russian phone calls have already revealed on several occasions how Russian soldiers are growing frustrated with the war in Ukraine and lack faith in their military leadership.
The meeting with mothers who are already supportive of Putin’s goals allows the Russian president to show the people that he cares about the troops fighting in Ukraine, and may lead some to believe that he has more support among military families than he really does. That could be particularly important now that hundreds of thousands of reservists, many of whom have extremely limited military experience, are filtering their way onto the battlefield in Ukraine.
Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s Russia editor, also noted that the meeting comes after Russian mothers published videos online complaining about how their sons and husbands have been sent to fight in Ukraine without proper equipment or essential training.
“Some women have been appealing directly to President Putin, the commander-in-chief, to sort things out,” Rosenberg reported.
While the Friday meeting with the president may offer comfort to some, the concerns of mothers hearing about the poor conditions on the ground in Ukraine from their deployed family members may prove difficult to overcome.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin Meeting with members of the Government (via videoconference).
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
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