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Demonstration of soldiers' wives at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow (February 3, 2024)
Several journalists received a visit from security authorities in the Russian capital on Friday. They were warned by police officers not to go to an action by wives, mothers and sisters who are demanding the return of their husbands, sons and brothers who have been called up for military service. This Saturday, Russian women want to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Kremlin wall for the tenth time as a sign of their protest.
Media workers received calls and requests to come to the police on Friday and were also threatened with house searches and criminal proceedings, the Telegram channel RusNews reported. Others were visited straight away at home. Foreign correspondents were also affected, including SPIEGEL correspondent Christina Lever. An employee of the security authorities was waiting for her in front of her apartment.
Last Saturday, the police arrested more than 20 journalists during the women's action. They specifically led away men, including a photographer working for SPIEGEL and Dutch correspondents. He and the other journalists were held for several hours and then released.
In Russia there have been gatherings of relatives of soldiers fighting in Ukraine for several weeks. Dozens of women regularly travel to Moscow from other cities in the country to gather at the Kremlin wall at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and lay flowers.
The “Way Home” movement, which was founded by the wives of conscripted Russians, is calling for the protest. Not only do they want to bring their men back home from the front, but they are also demanding that no further mobilization be carried out.
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