Putin tells mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine: 'We share your pain' - Reuters

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin spoke connected Friday to a cautiously selected radical of mothers of Russian soldiers sent to combat successful Ukraine who praised his enactment portion helium told them their sons had not died successful vain.

Tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers person been killed oregon wounded successful the struggle sparked by Russia's penetration of Ukraine, according to the United States.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians person been sent to combat successful Ukraine - including immoderate of the much than 300,000 called up arsenic portion of a mobilisation announced successful September.

Hundreds of thousands much person fled Russia to flight the draft, and dissatisfaction with soldiers' deficiency of instrumentality oregon grooming oregon the chaotic quality of the mobilisation tin beryllium recovered crossed societal media. Protests against the warfare and the enlistment thrust person been crushed by force.

Putin was shown successful recordings gathering 17 women astatine his Novo-Ogaryovo residence extracurricular Moscow to people Sunday's Russian Mother's Day, sitting astir a array laden with tea, cakes and berries, and listening to their stories for implicit 2 hours.

Putin said helium understood their anxiousness and interest - and the symptom of those who had mislaid sons.

"I would similar you to cognize that, that I personally, and the full enactment of the state - we stock your pain," helium said.

"We recognize that thing tin regenerate the nonaccomplishment of a lad - particularly for a mother," helium added, breathing heavy and often clearing his throat.

Putin has said helium has nary regrets astir what helium calls Russia's "special subject operation" successful Ukraine, which helium describes arsenic the infinitesimal Russia faced down Western hegemony aft decades of humiliation since the Soviet Union fell successful 1991.

Ukraine and the West accidental Putin has nary justification for what they accidental is simply a warfare of conquest.

'HE DID NOT LEAVE LIFE IN VAIN'

Putin praised the women's sons for defending "Novorossiya", virtually "new Russia", a loaded word from the tsarist empire that modern Russian nationalists usage to picture the ample parts of confederate and eastbound Ukraine that Russia present claims.

The president said helium sometimes called soldiers astatine the front, and that their words had made them heroes successful his eyes.

The mothers, from each implicit Russia and from antithetic taste groups, successful crook expressed acknowledgment for his enactment and wished him well, earlier telling of sons who had fought oregon died with valour successful the work of a noble cause.

"The Special Military Operation has brought america together," Maria Kostyuk told him earlier suggesting that the homes of fallen soldiers should beryllium fixed a prima to bent connected the door, arsenic they had been successful World War Two.

Most did bring complaints, but they were astir low-level issues specified arsenic a deficiency of bully covering for the soldiers, the request for much drones astatine the front, oregon the indifference of immoderate officials.

Nina Pshenichkina, a pistillate from Ukraine's Donetsk state whose lad died, said his nonaccomplishment had inspired her to enactment adjacent harder to marque the portion - present unilaterally annexed by Moscow - portion of Russia.

"Your lad lived, and his extremity has been achieved," Putin told her. "And that means helium did not permission beingness successful vain."

Other relatives of soldiers killed successful the warfare said the Kremlin had ignored their pleas for a gathering and that the 1 hosted by Putin would beryllium cautiously staged.

"The mothers volition inquire the 'correct' questions that were agreed beforehand," Olga Tsukanova, caput of the Council of Mothers and Wives, said successful a connection connected Telegram beforehand.

"Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) - are you a antheral oregon who are you? Do you person the courageousness to conscionable america look to face, openly, not with pre-agreed women and mothers who are successful your pocket, but with existent women who person travelled from antithetic cities present to conscionable with you? We await your answer," Tsukanova said.

Russia past publically disclosed its losses connected Sept. 21, saying 5,937 soldiers had been killed. That fig is acold beneath astir planetary estimates.

The United States' apical wide estimated connected Nov. 9 that much than 100,000 soldiers had been killed oregon wounded connected each side. Ukraine does not disclose its losses.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kevin Liffey; editing by Philippa Fletcher

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