On the eve of March 8, 2026, Russian officials and parliamentary parties dedicated a large share of their greetings to women whose relatives are taking part in the war against Ukraine. As Novaya Gazeta Europe notes, public messaging around International Women’s Day is increasingly centered on mothers, wives and widows of servicemen, as well as volunteers helping the army.
Local authorities reported on meetings held in what they described as a friendly atmosphere over tea. In Kolomna, district head Aleksandr Grechishchev and State Duma deputy Nikita Chaplin congratulated the wives of mobilized men, Anna Pashutina and Lyubov Kapotova, whose husbands were drafted in September 2022. In Novorossiysk, Mayor Andrei Kravchenko addressed mothers and widows of servicemen, while in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, according to local media, 7,500 women connected to the military are to receive tulips for the holiday.
United Russia once again held its “Flowers for Heroes’ Mothers” campaign. The party said that “fighters’ mothers” are a “special category of women.” The events began, among other places, on March 5 in Chuvashia and Saratov. In Dagestan, doctors and teachers were also invited, but the article says the war still remained central: mothers of servicemen received commendations, while volunteers were awarded medals.
In several regions, greetings were accompanied by concerts, excursions and themed clubs. In Novosibirsk, a concert titled “Every Song Is About You, Hero” was organized for the wives and mothers of participants in the “special military operation.” In the Kaliningrad region, a knitting club was opened, with organizers stressing that it is led by a mother and wife of war participants. In Serpukhov, a photo day called “Hello from Home” was held for military wives, and the local support center organized a weeklong “Self-Care Marathon.”
Other parties joined the campaign as well. Representatives of the Communist Party handed out flowers and gifts, in annexed Crimea the LDPR awarded mothers of war participants “Mother of a Soldier” badges, and A Just Russia placed special emphasis on the families of “SMO” participants and mothers of the fallen. At the same time, deputy Vitaly Milonov, speaking about March 8, called expectations of expensive gifts an example of “prostitute-like relations.”
On March 5, Vladimir Putin also spoke about women at a Kremlin meeting, separately mentioning servicewomen, the defense industry and members of propaganda brigades. The article stresses that before the war the president usually did not use militarized rhetoric in his March 8 greetings. In 2026, the authors note, only Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin appears to have avoided direct mention of the war in his holiday remarks.