 Russia's military wives and mothers protest against Putin. In Russia where public dissent is rare, a group of women's blunt message to Vladimir Putin stands out. Bring our men back from Ukraine. The Guardian reported this. We want a total demobilization. Civilians should not be engaged in the fighting, says one of the women at the start of the 9 minute address this month. There are many of us and our numbers will only grow. It is noted that they are the wives and mothers of some of the 300,000 Russian men who were conscripted in September 2022 at a critical period for the Kremlin when it needed to shore up its troop numbers after Ukraine recaptured swathes of territory in the south and north of the country. More than a year later, with their loved ones still on the battlefield, many women are staging public protests and writing open letters, taking to task the official narrative that mobilized troops are required in Russia's war in Ukraine. The Guardian says that Russia has a history of female-led protests during wartime, wives and mothers led an anti-war movement during the First Chechen War in 1994 that helped turn public opinion against the conflict and played a role in the Kremlin's decision to stop the fighting. The women were organized in well-run groups such as the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia, which had hundreds of regional hubs around the country and, crucially, their message was aired on Russian television at a time when media was not fully subordinate to the state. So far, the authorities have opted against jailing or harassing the women, instead ordering state media to ignore their pleas, while also rejecting their requests for rally permits across the country. Observers say it is too early to assess the impact of the movement of Russian women on a regime that has a long history of successfully quashing opposing voices. But their anger underlines some of the unease, some in the country feel about the conflict and puts a dent in the image portrayed by Putin of a society united behind the war effort.