Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin trying to quell dissent from soldiers’ wives with money and online attacks, says UK – as it happened

Russia trying to quell dissent from soldiers’ wives with money and online attacks, says UK

Russian authorities are attempting to quell dissent from the wives of soldiers deployed in Ukraine, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said in its daily intelligence briefing that some were being paid off while others have been discredited online.

It comes after protests from soldiers’ wives in November.

The MoD said:

Research by independent Russia media outlets and comments by protesting wives themselves suggest that, in recent weeks, the authorities have likely offered increased cash payments to families in return for them refraining from protest.

On 27 November 2023, one prominent online group for soldiers’ wives published a manifesto against ‘indefinite mobilisation’. On around 31 November 2023, the group was pinned with a ‘fake’ warning label – likely at the instigation of pro-Kremlin actors.

The authorities are likely particularly sensitive to any protests related to those citizens mobilised in September 2022, who have now been at the front line for over a year.