Wives of mobilized Russian soldiers hold rare protest at defense ministry demanding their return

By The Associated Press

A small group of women got down on their knees outside Russia’s defense ministry to hold a rare protest and demand the return of their mobilized soldier husbands and sons from Ukraine. Groups of women who are the relatives of men who were mobilized into the Russian army by President Vladimir Putin have been holding small protests for months. The women behind Monday’s protest asked for a meeting with Russia’s new minister of defense, Andrei Belousov, to demand that the men be allowed to return home and that authorities impose limits on how long soldiers can serve before they can be granted leave.