Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, praised female soldiers fighting in Ukraine and those supporting Moscow’s attack on its neighbor.
Mr. Putin also promulgated, on the occasion of March 8, a decree pardoning 52 women convicted and detained in prison, some of whom have military parents.
In his speech, the Russian president said he paid special tribute to “women who are in the special military operation zone” in Ukraine and “who are carrying out combat missions.”
According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, more than 300,000 women “serve and work in the armed forces” of Russia.
Last year, it reported that 1,100 of them were “fighting” in Ukraine, with the rest serving in support roles.
In another video message on Friday, Shoigu thanked the mothers of soldiers fighting in Ukraine. “You have raised true patriots and valiant defenders of the homeland,” he said.
In recent weeks, a handful of wives of mobilized soldiers have staged protests outside the Kremlin to demand that their husbands be removed from the front and brought back from Ukraine.