“Bring them back!”, the cry from the heart of the wives of soldiers after five months on the front opens a breach in the unity of the country

Five months after the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, wives of Ukrainian soldiers are demanding the return of their husbands. “They have the right to a break, a permission“, proclaim these Ukrainians who have launched a petition on the website of the presidency, which has already collected more than 3500 signatures.Their mobilization at the front is too long. Any human would begin to morally fatigue and lose his strength“, says their appeal. An unusual speech in a country that likes to display its unity in war, and, in fact, blessed bread for pro-Russians who relay their message.

A video is circulating on social networks. It was filmed in Lviv, in western Ukraine: we see about twenty women, who present themselves as the wives of soldiers of the 24th brigade, loudly demanding permission for their companions. “Their psychological state is terriblethey say. Bring them back!“

In her sewing workshop, Oksana says she understands these women, but only partially. Her husband is also a soldier, a member of an elite unit in the Donbass, where he has been fighting since 2014: “Yes, I miss him. Yes, I’m waiting for itshe hammers. But you have to pull yourself together! Afterwards, the 24th Brigade experienced a real hell, and many soldiers are missing. Their wives just have to be patient, wait, and try to occupy themselves.“Since the end of February, she has only seen her husband again when he was injured. And she concludes:”Now is not the right time for permissions.“

Sergeant-chef Edouard Krohmarluk is part of this 24th brigade, whose soldiers are nicknamed the “iron warriors”. If he was able to return to Lviv, it was because he got injured: “On the front, I stayed 13 months, until my injury“.

We knew where we were going, and what awaited us there. It’s not a vacation.

But he does not want a return of the mobilized soldiers: “The front line has grown from 450 kilometers to nearly 1,500 kilometers todayhe explains. To replace a soldier at the front, you have to have someone to replace him. We are short of soldiers.“The injured staff sergeant also wants to return to the front as soon as possible.