Russia's ruling party officials face backlash for gifting meat grinders to mothers of dead soldiers

1. Russia's ruling party officials face backlash for gifting meat grinders to mothers of dead soldiers

Russia's ruling party officials face backlash for gifting meat grinders to mothers of dead soldiers ByHT News Desk Mar 08, 2025 09:49 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Many on social media called the gesture from the ruling party as “shameful” and “inappropriate”.

Local officials from Russia's ruling party are being criticised for gifting meat grinders to mothers of soldiers killed in the war with Ukraine, AFP reported on Saturday.

The local party later posted a video in which one of the soldiers' mothers awkwardly thanked the party for the gifts.(Telegram/UnitedRussia)

The United Russia party in the northern Murmansk region posted photos on social media showing officials smiling as they visited bereaved mothers with gifts of flowers and meat grinders on the occasion of International Women's Day.

The party, on its social media, thanked the “mums” for their “strength of spirit and the love you put into bringing up your sons”, according to AFP.

Many on social media called the gesture from the ruling party as “shameful” and “inappropriate”.

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After the backlash, the party's local branch in the town of Polyarniye Zori defended their decision to gift meat grinders, saying that those criticising were callously making “provocative interpretations” of the gift, according to AFP.

Mayor Maxim Chengayev, who took part in the handover of gifts, said that meat grinders were not originally intended to be included but were included after one woman asked for it.

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“We, of course, could not say no,” he said, according to the news agency.

The local party later posted a video in which one of the soldiers' mothers awkwardly thanked the party for the gifts and confirmed that she had asked for a meat grinder because she needed one.

“I wanted to buy [the meat grinder] for myself, but you gifted me one just in time,” the woman said on camera, according to The Moscow Times. “I asked you for it, in principle.”

Russia has rarely given any figures for its losses and the true toll in the Ukraine war remains unknown.