The wife of a Russian soldier was seen delivering an emotional appeal at President Vlamdimir Putin’s election headquarters for the return of her husband — deployed on duty in Ukraine. This is a defiant gesture in Russia, as it is banned to openly critize war in the country, reported news agency Reuters.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has issued a decree that my husband has to be there (in Ukraine). I’m interested to know when he will issue a decree that my husband has to be home,” said Maria Andreyeva, the soldier’s wife.
She was involved in a heated exchange of words with a woman, who told her that she should pray for the Russian soldiers who were defending their country in Ukraine.
Instead, Maria demanded, “So what’s next? The Ministry of Defense has spent its money, now we need to squeeze everything out of our guys, get the last life out of them? So that they come back to us just as stumps?”
She further exclaimed,”Will they give me the stump? What will I get back? A man without legs, without arms, a sick man? Don’t you know what’s happening there?”
The incident happened when a small delegation of ‘The Way Home’ an organisation of soldier’s wives who have been campaigning for their husband’s homecoming from the war, visited Putin’s election base.
Andreya also said that she did not sense any urgency from the authorities to address their concerns, as a result of which they had to step up their campaign.
According to Reuters, she told the reporters that her toddler daughter was suffering from arrested speech development due to her father’s absence.
“All my family’s problems can only be solved by one thing – by my husband being demobilised. Because she is a completely different child when her father comes home,” said Maria.
Maria’s husband was mobilised in October 2022 to join Russia’s armed forces that were involved in a military campaign in Ukraine.