And yet, the Kremlin knows it has an Achilles heel. In the 1980s, it was the wrath of the mothers of dead Soviet soldiers sent back in bags from Afghanistan that turned public support to the USSR war. After a decade of war, this anger led to a Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 and also to the fatal undermining of then-leader Mikhail Gorbachev. He was ousted from power just two years later. Putin is well aware of the danger that angry women could pose in his war effort and is ready to face them, according to a Russian analyst based in Moscow, who declined to be named. “Putin was here during the war in Chechnya and Afghanistan. “He has seen how strong their voices are,” he said. “But, although they are important, they do not have much voice at the moment. “The roar of propaganda is covering them and the Soviet women’s groups have joined the Ministry of Defense.” From Orenburg, Ms Banschikova said her future looked bleak. Her days are full of caring for her three-year-old daughter and now with the support of other young Russian widows. “My husband’s best friend died yesterday. “His daughter was also a month old yesterday, but he did not get to see her,” he said. Mrs Bansikova’s voice did not break during the telephone conversation – and she did not cry. But her deep sadness was clear. On her profile on the Russian social networking site VK, she updated her status. Now he writes: “He is dead.”
