INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The woman in the video, her face blurred, gave a blunt assessment of Russian military policy: Soldiers mobilised over a year ago to fight in
Ukraine deserved to come home
Why weren't they? "Our mobilised became the best army in the world, but that doesn't mean that this army should stay there to the last man,"
"If he did something heroic, spilled blood for his country sincerely, then maybe it was time to return to his family, make way for someone
else, but that's not happening."The speaker was part of a new, grassroots movement that has been gathering steam in Russiaover the past
several weeks.Women in various cities are seeking to stage public protests, challenging the official argument that mobilised troops are
needed in combat indefinitely to secure their Russian homeland
The nascent movement is a rare example of public displeasure with the war, the kind that the Kremlin has sought to suppress through
Some participants hoped that the protests would spark a wider questioning of the war
The authorities have tried to ensure that no similar national movement emerges out of the current protests
Authorities have so far stepped lightly, using intimidation and cajoling rather than detention or arrests
Permits to hold rallies in several cities were denied, for example, and women in chat forums have complained about harassment
Some said law enforcement officers visited them at home to inquire about their online activity and to warn them of the legal consequences of
attending unauthorised rallies.One main outlet for the protest movement has been a channel on the Telegram messaging app called "Put Domoy"
in Russian, or "The Way Home," which has attracted more than 14,650 participants since it was founded in September
The channel's organisers published a manifesto pressing for mobilised soldiers to be sent home after a year in the combat zone
The groups protesting take pains to stress that they are not unpatriotic and that they strive to respect the law
They say they are simply asking that the Kremlin introduce troop rotations
Maria Andreeva, who helped organise a Moscow protest, said that the government had largely responded by offering more money and benefits to
"They agree to pay us even more, but only if we keep quiet," she said
"Many women need their husbands and sons, not payments."
