A woman dubbed one of Vladimir Putin’s top TV propagandists has been questioned about why her 20-year-old son has not been drafted into the Russian army.
Thousands of young Russian men were killed during the invasion of Ukraine, and there is outrage that the sons of famous people are able to avoid conscription.
Tina Kandelaki, a multimillionaire TV presenter, has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Putin.
Last week, the 46-year-old appeared on stage at a live pro-war event attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin to commemorate the eighth anniversary of Crimea’s annexation.
Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a Russian cooking expert and outspoken war critic, confronted her about the whereabouts of her son, Leontyi ‘Leo’ Kondrakhin.
“Tina, as the son of a patriot, I hope your son is now inside a tank near Melitopol?” the 51-year-old asked.
Images show the young musician in Moscow, not in the army, and a video shows him performing in a punk band.
He could have been conscripted at the age of 18 under Russian law, but elite parents frequently arrange medical exemptions for their children, or his studies may have allowed him to defer.
The TV star and mother-of-two has not responded to the question, as thousands of other parents have seen their children return in coffins as a result of the war.
Natalya Sindeyeva, 50, senior editor of independent Rain TV, which has been blocked by authorities, has also published a moving open letter to Ms Kandelaki and two other prominent Russian women.
“You are beautiful, bright, strong women,” she wrote. You are famous, but you are also mothers.
“We watched our children grow, worried about them, and worked tirelessly for their future.”
“Like thousands of Ukrainian mothers, whose dreams and plans have been dashed.” In Ukraine, children are dying.
“Very small children, one-year-olds, two-year-olds, schoolchildren, and kindergarteners.”
“Girls and boys die as a result of bombing, in shelters, and while trying to flee and hide.”
“Mothers in Ukraine bury their children in small coffins.” And I’m constantly thinking about it, and I’m not sure how to deal with it.
“What do we, the mothers, tell their mothers?”
“Russia, please protect your children,” she demanded.
“Don’t send boys into battle – leave my son to me, leave Tina’s son to Tina, and Margo’s son to Margo [Simonyan].”
Ms Kandelaki had accused the West of attempting to erase Russia like a social media account in her speech at Putin’s pro-war rally, implying that this was why the war in Ukraine was necessary.
“We carry the rank of Russia with pride, despite all the difficulties and hardships that we now have to go through,” she told the crowd.
The West wishes to “erase” the entire country “like a social media account” for “one simple reason – you speak Russian.”
