ISW expose lie about Putin meeting with mothers of mobilized servicemen

This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War.

American analysts draw attention to the fact that on November 25, two days before Russian Mother's Day, Vladimir Putin presented a meeting with 18 carefully selected women who hold important positions in the Russian political sphere as an open discussion with the mothers of the mobilized personnel.

Russian propaganda media actively covered this meeting, trying to soften the discontent of the relatives of the mobilized reservists and the calls of real groups of mothers and wives.  Putin used the meeting to promise to improve conditions for those being mobilized, to urge Russians not to believe negative media reports about the mobilization and to show solidarity with the families of Russian soldiers.

At the same time, there is information that none of the representatives of the authorities responds to the calls of the real relatives of the Russian military. In particular, on November 24, one of the Russian TV channels published a video in which a Russian woman claims that the authorities are not meeting with her, although she is looking for her son, who disappeared in Ukraine in March.

The Council of Mothers and Wives issued a statement saying that unknown persons had started stalking them and their family members after they announced on November 21 a round table to discuss the problems faced by conscripts. And the YouTube channel "Moms of Russia" published a video appeal to Putin with several mothers asking him to prevent the mobilization of their only child.

ISW notes that it has not seen a response to this video from Putin. The Council of Mothers and Wives also expressed their belief that only specially selected persons received the invitation to the meeting with Putin.