Russia Paying Off Soldiers’ Wives to Avoid Protests: UK

Dec 02, 2023 at 11:19 AM EST

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By Brendan Cole

Senior News ReporterFOLLOW

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The disgruntled wives of Russian troops serving in Ukraine are being targeted by the Kremlin as it seeks to stamp out dissent about its full-scale invasion, British defense officials have said.

Over the course of the war that Vladimir Putin started in February 2022, there have been numerous reports of low morale among Russian troops who have complained about poor equipment and training.

There have also been growing appeals from relatives for Russian troops to be rotated and brought back home. The Council of Mothers and Wives, comprised of relatives of mobilized Russians, has repeatedly condemned the war. Newsweek contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment by email on Saturday.

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Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 2 December 2023.

Find out more about Defence Intelligence’s use of language: https://t.co/VwlpbYjZCp

🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/I5YQuDgNMV— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) December 2, 2023

In November 2022, the wives of Russian soldiers went to the border with the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. They demanded to take their husbands home because the men had been wounded on the frontline, the independent Russian news outlet The Insider reported.

Last month, spouses and relatives of Russian soldiers risked the wrath of law enforcement by holding a short-lived protest in Moscow before it was dispersed, as they demanded their loved ones be returned home.