The movement is difficult to quantify, but it is, at the very least, embarrassing the Russian regime. Across the country, groups of women have formed to demand the return of their husbands and sons from the Ukrainian front. According to official figures, which are probably underestimated, 300,000 of these men had been mobilized from September 2022 to take part in the "special military operation" launched by Vladimir Putin. Some 14 months on, their return does not appear to be on the agenda.

The genesis of this rebellion goes back to November 7, when some 30 women invited themselves to an open-air Communist Party rally in Moscow. Signs went up: "It's time for the mobilized to go home," "No to endless mobilization," "Give us back our husbands, our fathers, our sons." Taking the microphones, they clarified that they were not against the "special military operation," but said it was time for others to shoulder the burden of war.

Despite this clarification, it took less than five minutes for the police to intervene and remove the placards, although no arrests were made. The response of Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, challenged by the women, also set the tone for the official response. While promising to "help," he warned, "If the Nazis win, neither you nor I will be alive to discuss this."

As soon as the so-called "partial mobilization" was announced, its duration became a taboo topic. In December 2022, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigou assured that the influx of volunteers would enable those mobilized to be sent home over the course of the following year. But, in reality, even the wounded are sent back to the front after their convalescence. In September 2023, Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Duma's Defense Committee, ended any uncertainty by stating that "no rotation is planned" and that mobilized soldiers would fight "until the end" of the war.

Despite its mixed success, this first Moscow action prompted hundreds of women to organize across Russia, mainly through groups on Telegram. Scattered demands, mainly for the granting of promised leave, gave way to a single demand – the return of the men. In a dozen cities, protest permits were filed – all refused, mostly in the name of the conveniently revived "anti-Covid norms," while patriotic or festive rallies have become almost daily in Russia.

In the city of Novosibirsk alone, a meeting was organized with a few officials on Sunday, November 19, strictly supervised and closed to the media. No report was issued and no concrete results were achieved. The women are adamant that they will not give up: "Our husbands are asking us to, they want to come home," one wrote on a group. The sense of injustice is heightened by the fact that soldiers recruited from prison – first by the mercenary group Wagner, then by the army – only have to serve six months before being granted a presidential pardon.

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