Russian women have made an emotional appeal to Vladimir Putin to bring their men home from his "meat grinder" war.
The demand by wives and mothers in Vologda is latest showing ordinary people ready to defy draconian laws by criticising the army and calling for mobilised troops to be released from duty.
They said: “The time to act has arrived, not to think and wait for everyone to be minced in this bloody mincer,” said the women in the public video address to Putin and their regional governor.
"We ask to return our husbands, sons from this hell.
“Return our husbands home,” chorused 12 women in the appeal.
They demanded punishment for officials and commanders responsible for flouting a Putin promise untrained mobilised men without modern weaponry and equipment would not be put in harm’s way on the frontline.
They said some of their husbands had been killed both by Ukrainian attacks and “friendly fire ” from the Russian side.
She said: “They were killed by both the enemy and our artillery. Our artillery was shooting at our men."
The appeal was read by Vologda resident Elena Kuznetsova, 35, who said her husband Yury was mobilised like other Vologda men on October. 1
She posted now he was “with God”.
And she later wrote: “The men came under the strongest and deadliest artillery fire from [ Ukraine ], were subjected to mortar attacks, drone attacks, and enemy phosphorus bombs from warplanes,
“The guys were in a fire trap, they were killed by both the enemy and our Russian army.”
She told Putin and other senior officials: “We ask you to understand this situation and punish the perpetrators.
“Why was there no proper military training? Why was there no command and clear tasks?
“Why did they end up in the war zone? Why is there no technical equipment and special equipment?
“It's time to act, not think and wait for everyone to be chopped up in this bloody meat grinder.”
The women’s video was deleted from many channels because it flouts Russia ’s laws designed to prevent exposure of the cruelty of Putin’s war.
Potentially, the women risk jail under this draconian legislation.
Kuznetsova later posted again decrying the “madness” of deleting the truth in their account of what happened to their men.
A commenter Lyubov Petukhova said: “How can this happen?
“Apparently, the words about taking care of the soldiers were empty.
“The men were taken to die, without training straight into combat. What a disgrace.
“Men are [treated as] cattle. But everyone has a family, a wife and a mother.”
