Putin meets with sad mothers

 Vladimir Putin met with mothers of military personnel – participants in the special military operation. The meeting took place in Novo-Ogaryovo.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon once again.

As you know, the day after tomorrow Russia marks Mother’s Day. It is not some pompous noisy celebration but a day that is filled with special, very warm meaning and emphasises the attitude towards mothers inherent in all the peoples of Russia: respect, reverence, admiration.

In this regard, of course, I would like to remember this. But I understand perfectly well that you, as well as so many other women in Russia whose sons are in the zone of hostilities, of course, have a different attitude to this event – not something that would be festive, but, most likely, associated with anxiety and worry, when you think about what is happening to your boys. After all, for a mother, no matter what age her son is, he is always a boy, always a child. And for those, including those of you who are here, and who have lost their sons, of course, this is also related to the thoughts of this tragedy.

In this sense I would like to say… You know I do not have the heart to say formal standard things expressing condolences. But I want you to know that the entire leadership of the country and I personally, we share your pain. We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son, a child. Especially for mothers, to whom we all owe our lives, who bore and fed us.

I want you to know that we share this pain with you. And, of course, we will do our best, so that you do not feel forgotten, so that you feel the support.

Obviously, life is more complicated and diverse than what they show on television screens or on the internet. One should not trust the internet completely because it is full of various fake stories, deception and lies. The internet is rife with information attacks because information is just another offensive weapon in the modern world, and information attacks are just another effective type of struggle.

We have gathered here, and I have suggested this meeting because I wanted to listen to you and to hear your first-hand assessments: you also receive your information from there. I receive a lot of information from various sources, but your assessments, your opinion, ideas and proposals are an entirely different matter. I will try to make sure that everything we discuss today will be taken into account and used in real life.

That is what I wanted to say in the beginning.

Concluding my brief opening remarks, I would like to say what I have been talking about all the time. First of all, the family is the source of everything. The very fact that most of your children have decided to serve and protect our Homeland, our Motherland, Russia, to protect our people, including those in Novorossiya (New Russia) and Donbass, is also, doubtless, the result of your work. This is not the result of any exhortations or moral admonitions. This is the result of your personal example, and this will always be so.

No matter what they say in school, although this is highly important, the personal example of a person’s parents influences the foundation of his or her self-awareness and his or her basic values. A personal example is the main, most important and most fundamental method of education and upbringing.

Judging by the heroic behaviour of your children, and I wanted to discuss precisely this aspect, this, of course, is your tremendous contribution. This is your contribution, as well as that of your men, your husbands. This is always a two-sided process in every family. However, only they, the young men themselves, know that they are real heroes.

Why so? This is because no one, except them and their immediate superiors, knows how difficult this work is, and how dangerous the risks to one’s life and health are. They alone feel and realise this.

Sometimes I speak with them; I spoke with some of them on the telephone directly. In any event, I spoke with those who surprised me with their mood and their attitude towards work. They did not expect me to call them. By the way, these calls came through their mothers. This gives me every reason to say that they are heroes. This is true.

This is what I wanted to say in the beginning. Let’s have a free discussion. As I have already said, I will certainly try to heed everything that you will say today.

Please.

Suna Nabiyeva: I am Suna Nabiyeva from Daghestan.

My son, Enver, graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank Command School and is serving in Buryatia. He has been part of the SMO from the first days. He was wounded twice and stayed in a hospital. Upon recovery, he returned to his unit.

Sometimes we talk by telephone. When he learned that I was going to meet you, he asked me to send his regards from all his fellow servicemen and say that they will do everything they must do. He said: “My grandfather and two great grandfathers fought in the Great Patriotic War, and I cannot let them down.” His soldiers on the frontline also often recall their grandfathers. They come from all over the country, from different republics. You said recently: “I am a Lakh, I am a Daghestani, I am a Chechen, Ingush, Russian, Tatar…” People in Daghestan heard this and it’s the right thing to say.

Our family comes from the mountain village Dzhaba in the Akhtynsky District. We have a large multi-ethnic family. My mother-in-law is a mother-heroine; she has 12 children. I would like to thank you very much for introducing the high title of Mother Heroine. This is very important for the mothers of Daghestan and Russia.

Vladimir Putin: Ms Nabiyeva, first, thank you very much for the words from your son. I asked from the very start to give our men the most accurate and objective information on the attitude of the country towards their fighting, the performing of their duty.

I hope they will see this meeting, too. Modern technology makes it possible. Of course, radio communication poses a certain risk, and this is why it has certain restrictions, but they will hear it eventually, no doubt about it. So I would like them to see that a mother fulfilled the request of her son and that his greetings are gratefully accepted.

For my part, I wish all the best to your son and his army mates.

Suna Nabiyeva: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: When did he graduate from the command school?

Suna Nabiyeva: In 2010.

Vladimir Putin: I am sure that he is performing his duty well. This is only natural for all Russian soldiers, even more so for the warriors from the Caucasus, from Daghestan. People there are with a special character. I know this very well from 1999 and will never forget the days and months linked with the events in Daghestan.

Daghestan is a multi-ethnic republic and Russia as a whole is a unique civilisation where people of different ethnic origins and various religions live side by side. A unique feature of this life is that over hundreds of years of co-existence, people not only found a common language but also learned to respect each other’s traditions and religions. They have learned to celebrate holidays together and to overcome times of trial together when they come.

So, when I said the words that you just repeated I was simply talking from my heart – it is impossible to write them down, of course. I know this is how it is. I know that people do not divide themselves into separate castes or ethnic groups – all are equal, all help each other, realising that their lives depend on this mutual aid and support. This is a very important point. They are performing their service duty very well, as I have said.

So, thank you very much, thank you for your son. Please give my best regards to him as well, to him and his comrades-in-arms, to all his subordinates.

Suna Nabiyeva: Thank you.

Nina Pshenichkina: Mr President, I am from the Lugansk People’s Republic, from the small city of Kirovsk.

The city is on the frontline. We are fighting and we are restoring everything thanks to the Russian Federation. We are under the patronage of the Irkutsk Region, and they are now restoring 55 facilities. Recently, the governor visited us, my library, my school, and I was here.

It is common knowledge now, but on September 30, we had a great, glorious event – we became Russian Federation regions, something first wave militia fighters were dreaming about.

When my son joined an armed volunteer unit in 2014 he told me: “Mom, I am going to fight for Russia, I’m going to fight for the Russian world, I am going to fight for the Russian word, for Russian memory.” My father fought in the war from 1941 to 1945 and came home with Victory. We have waited for this event for a long time. It has been an uphill road; we have lost many people dear to us, but we did not lose hope that we would be in Russia and would return home. And now this joyful event has taken place.

But my son, Konstantin Pshenichkin, was killed in a morning battle, defending the city. It so happened that the enemy came very close to their position. He jumped out of a trench to draw fire upon himself. His last words were: “Let’s go and chop up the Ukies, guys.” He was awarded the medal For Courage posthumously.

It’s heart wrenching, my soul is frozen, and gloomy memories are overwhelming my mind. My eyes are filled with tears. Suddenly my son begs me: “Mom, don’t be sad, we’ll see each other – we simply have to wait. Live this life for me and in the next life we’ll be together again.”

I looked up and straightened my shoulders and started to do all I could to help the families of the killed militia members. I was trying to get benefits for them. I was a member of the civic chamber. I helped organise the first two referendums. During the second referendum, I was a member of the public commission. Nobody had seen such enthusiasm before. Old women went with flags and sang songs. “We’ll come to you.” “No, we want to come here ourselves. And say ‘hello’ to Putin, please.” They believe we are Vladimir Putin’s envoys. So, I know everything directly, not from hearsay.

Mr President, I’d still like to highlight several issues, if I may.

Vladimir Putin: Of course.

Nina Pshenichkina: We are young regions and we are just entering the legal field of the Russian Federation. The same applies to medicine. We have a problem when examining the wounded. They have to go to so many places and collect so many documents that a healthy person would hardly be able to get. They have to go from Kirovsk to Alchevsk, from Alchevsk to Beloye where the hospital is, from Beloye back to Lugansk. Meanwhile, the military medical commission in Lugansk is only open once a week. How can people from 20 cities and districts get through this examination in one day? And what if a man has lost his legs? How will he do this? Please, instruct the authorities to use one window or send commissions to all these places.

And one more question: commanders are not always attentive in making entries in journals. They write: “sent to hospital” but do not specify what wound a soldier has. Then these people have to prove the obvious even though they have sacrificed their health for the Motherland and have become incapacitated. I know this because people tell me about it.

And one more question. It is simply floating around in both the Donetsk People’s Republic and in our republic. Will the benefits that Russian military personnel or the families of the dead are getting now also apply to the families of the people killed before September 30?

Mr President,

I would like to convey to you our gratitude, support and confidence – we believe in victory, it will be ours – and to wish you the strongest health on behalf of all residents of Donbass, the women of Donbass, the Union of Donbass Women, those mothers that sent their sons to the front.

And since we have gathered here today, I want to say that these are the best mothers, Mothers with a capital M. I would like to pass on to you the fervent greetings from the patient women of Donbass. And you know, ladies, you should be proud of your sons. You have brought up real heroes! All those who are there now are heroes!

I wish you the strongest health, to see everyone come back alive and with a victory!

Happy holiday, dear friends.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Source: President of Russia