Vladimir Putin has given electric meat grinders to mothers of Russian soldiers but it has triggered a backlash.
‘Meat grinder’ is often used to describe Putin’s war in Ukraine, where thousands of soldiers have been killed.
To try and diffuse the situation, the Russian government recorded a video which shows a mum thanking Putin for the gift.
She said: ‘I thank United Russia for the presents, for the beautiful bouquet.
‘And you gave me a meat grinder, which I needed.’
The meat grinders were handed out in Murmansk and generated a social media backlash.
In defence of the actions, pro-war Defenders of the Fatherland organisation based in Murmansk said: ‘Our duty and responsibility is to surround the mothers of the Heroes of the Fatherland with attention and support, not in words, but in deeds.
‘We strive to be close to these strong women, share their experiences and provide assistance in difficult times.’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Mayor of Polyarnye Zori, Maxim Chengaev, hit back at the attackers, for trying to ‘turn congratulations [to the mothers] upside down’.
‘We urge you not to support inhumane and provocative interpretations,’ he said.
‘The most important thing for us is that women themselves are happy with a practical gift that will be useful in the household.’
The news comes as the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, with President Donald Trump threatening new sanctions and tariffs on Russia.
This follows Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine after the US also suspended aid to the country.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: ‘Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED.
‘To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late.’
Nato was forced to scramble warplanes over Poland today after Russia launched a huge attack on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Putin’s forces launched at least 67 missiles of various types and 194 attack and decoy drones.
It came just hours after Trump said the Kremlin dictator wanted to stop the war but had a ‘secret reason’ for continuing.
Although there were no casualties, eight people were injured after missiles rained down on Kharkiv, destroying residential buildings and a local nursery.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
