A Russian mother said she was “ashamed” of her eldest son and left deeply “hurt” after he volunteered to fight in Ukraine for Putin’s army. The woman is now a pensioner and lives in Moscow, having raised five children. – three of whom are boys. An agronomist and lawyer by profession, she spent part of her life living in northeastern Ukraine in the village of Novy Merchik, situated in the Kharkiv region.
Kharkiv and its surrounding localities were one of the first places to be attacked at the beginning of the war last February.
Her eldest son went to kindergarten in Ukraine, while her second boy was born in the country.
The Russian mum said she loved the country but was now unable to look Ukrainians in the eye.
Her eldest son joined the army and currently serves as an officer fighting in Ukraine.
His mother said: “My eldest son went to ‘defend’ his homeland. I was shocked!
“It seems he is not a fool, but I cannot understand him.
“What homeland did he go to defend in a foreign country?
“You see, I am ashamed and hurt that I raised him. I no longer want to communicate with him.”
Her second son told her that he will not volunteer to fight, but will not run away if he is called up to serve by the Russian army in any of the mobilisation waves.
His mother said: “I also told him that if he takes up arms, I will erase him from my life. He was born in Ukraine.
“Wanting to kill the peaceful people of a foreign country – I will never understand this! There is also no contact with him.
“Only the youngest son is against the war. That’s how the stupidity of one old bald freak (Putin) tore apart our entire family.”
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Ukraine’s military intelligence has claimed that the Kremlin is preparing to mobilise another 500,000 conscripts in the coming weeks, as it seeks to boost its front line troops.
Vadym Skibitsky, a deputy military intelligence chief, said Ukraine believed the conscripts would be part of a string of Russian offensives over the spring and summer in the east and south of the country.
The Kremlin has strongly denied it is preparing for another round of mobilisation to supplement the one it carried out last autumn.
The Russian army has suffered massive casualties, since its ill-fated invasion of its neighbour.
Ukraine’s military estimates that over 120,000 Russians have been killed, while US Defence officials said that the figure could be as many as 180,000.
