It was one of the things Vladimir Putin feared the most: that the mothers of dead or missing soldiers would hold him to account.
A few weeks ago, an American general released the figure of 100,000 Russian soldiers dead or seriously injured in Ukraine. Russian mothers of dead soldiers have nothing left to lose, so they are politically dangerous. Putin decided to meet 17 of these mothers in front of the cameras, at his second home near Moscow. His words, more or less benevolent towards them, were reported by the Russian media. The reaction of the mothers remains unknown. It should not meet the high standards of the Russian information networks…
1. What is the role of women in Russian culture?
Women are responsible for raising children, especially young children. In a country where wars have decimated generations of men, women are often perceived as the repositories of memory. Russian literature traditionally depicts them as bearers of great social ideals. Mothers are therefore at the center of the family, in addition to embodying a kind of moral standard of Russian society. However, the defense of traditional family values is one of the cornerstones of Putin’s political project. For mothers to strip Putin of their moral bail would be a serious blow.
2. What did Putin tell mothers?
Putin told the mothers of dead soldiers that he shared their pain personally and as head of state, but that he had no regrets for his “special operation”. He also urged them to “stand up to an arrogant Western hegemony”. He explained to them that his operation was the result of decades of humiliation since 1991. He asked them “not to believe what is said on the internet”.
3. Why are Putin’s words problematic?
Putin would have preferred not to meet these Russian mothers. No words can console them. But it was necessary to give the impression to public opinion that he took their sufferings into account. Yet Putin is making several mistakes here. He forgets that the soldiers’ mothers do not get their main information from the media or the Internet, but rather from the soldiers’ telephone conversations with their families. Moreover, justifying a war by revenge or by an inferiority complex, rather than by concrete political or economic interests, reveals in Putin a political disarray.
4. Is Putin isolated?
Putin is not isolated. On the contrary, he is supported by his nationalist wing which demands ever more violent military action. To echo this, Putin and other Russian leaders repeat that Ukraine must be denazified. He also accuses NATO of having taken control of Ukraine. However, nothing proves this. On the contrary, Volodymyr Zelensky seems to be in control of the situation. Besides, how might Ukraine be governed by Nazis and NATO at the same time? Unless you say that NATO is also in Nazi hands…
5. What might Russian mothers understand?
Russian mothers might come to understand that the war in Ukraine is a war of aggression that only serves to satisfy the ambitions of a dictator. By contagion effect, Russian mothers might also feel sympathy for Ukrainian mothers. It would be the end of the war – and of Putin.