[War & Business] The Russian 'Mothers' Association' That Moves Putin

On the 25th of last month (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with 17 mothers of Russian war veterans at President Putin's residence, Novo-Ogaryovo, on the outskirts of Moscow. Moscow= EPA·Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russian President Vladimir Putin recently held a meeting at his residence with 17 mothers of soldiers who participated in the war, drawing global attention. This was because a large number of outsiders were invited to Putin's residence, 'Novo-Ogaryovo,' where entry had been virtually impossible for anyone except his closest aides due to sterilization tunnels installed everywhere following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mothers invited to the meeting were all carefully selected from pro-Putin factions, and the questions were pre-arranged, but the atmosphere was not entirely cordial. According to the Kremlin's released details of the meeting, some mothers of soldiers boldly asked sensitive questions, such as the difficulty in confirming the survival and injury status of their sons, the insufficient state support benefits, and that soldiers were being sent into battle without weapons or coats.

President Putin was reportedly embarrassed to the point of making a lame excuse, saying, "Originally, about 30,000 people die every year in our country from traffic accidents and alcohol. It is unavoidable." This showed how public opinion about the war had worsened to the extent that the atmosphere was tense despite excluding anti-government groups altogether.

Groups of mothers of soldiers who participated in the war have been rapidly forming, increasing their political influence. In addition to the 150,000 to 180,000 soldiers mobilized during the invasion of Ukraine, about 300,000 reservist youths have been additionally conscripted under the recent partial mobilization order by the Russian government, leading mothers from various social strata to join these groups.

These groups are divided into pro-government and anti-government factions depending on their stance, but regardless of their orientation, they are conducting all kinds of lobbying efforts to confirm the survival status of their sons and ensure their return home. They are desperately struggling to save their sons and husbands.

Recently, as the Russian military began to retreat from major frontlines due to counterattacks by Ukrainian forces and prolonged sanctions have disrupted supplies, casualties are estimated to be increasing exponentially. The Russian military is struggling with shortages to the extent that they have depleted missile stockpiles and are launching old Soviet-era nuclear missiles with their warheads removed.

Russian economic ministries and industries are concerned that if the war prolongs like during World War II, a female-majority phenomenon caused by a sharp decline in the male population may reoccur. According to the Russian statistics office's 2018 data, the gender ratio was 86 men to 100 women, with women outnumbering men by about 10 million in the total population.

Especially among the elderly, the gender ratio widens to 46 men to 100 women, a result of over 20 million soldiers sacrificed during the Great Patriotic War against Germany in World War II, which drastically reduced the number of young men at the time.

In this situation, as the Russian government, which is being pushed back on major Ukrainian frontlines, is reportedly planning a second mobilization order, anti-war movements are intensifying. The Russian military, which deployed over 500,000 troops across the entire frontline under Ukraine's wartime mobilization order and suffered more than 100,000 casualties, is struggling with manpower shortages everywhere.

As the tears of mothers continue, the proportion of Russians supporting the war has sharply dropped from 57% to 25% in just four months. This is why the Putin regime cannot help but be highly sensitive to the tears of Russian mothers. There is growing attention both inside and outside Russia on how long the Putin regime can continue a war that is destroying its own support base.