President Vladimir Putin on Friday met the mothers of soldiers who had been fighting in Ukraine, telling them that he and the entire Russian leadership shared their suffering.
The war in Ukraine has killed or wounded tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides, according to the United States, and the Russian invasion has triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis.
Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been sent to fight in Ukraine – including some of the more than 300,000 reservists who were called up as part of a mobilization announced by Putin in September.
Sitting with the group of mothers around a table with tea, cakes and bowls of fresh berries, Putin said Moscow shared the pain of those who had lost their sons.
“I would like you to know that, that I personally, and the whole leadership of the country – we share your pain,” Putin said.
