Russia – criticism
A group of Russian women are sharply criticizing President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of hiding the truth about how things are going on the front lines in Ukraine. He is doing so in order to be re-elected in the elections expected next year, they believe. The women are married to soldiers sent to war in the neighbouring country. In a post on messaging service Telegram, they called on Putin to send their men home. “We only keep quiet when our men are home safe (forever, we’re not interested in rotation),” they said in a letter posted in a group called “The Way Home” on Telegram. The women are planning to demonstrate, but the Russian authorities have not given them permission. The official explanation is that demonstrations are not allowed due to the danger of corona infection. It is unknown how many women are behind the criticism of Putin. They have not been named. In Russia, critics of the war in Ukraine – which the government calls a “special military operation” – risk being sentenced to several years in prison. /ritzau/dpa