Activists Form Groups to Shame Russian Women who Marry Soldiers for Money Putin's Given Those fighting for Him Rather than for Love

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 18 – Because Putin is giving so much money to soldiers to get them to fight against Ukraine, some Russian women have sought to get access to these funds by marrying for money rather than love. Horrified, other Russian women are now seeking to shame these women by publishing “blacklists” of those with only mercenary goals.

            The idea of shaming these women and warning Russian soldiers of their real intentions came on a VKontakte page (vk.com/podslushano_na_svo?w=wall-143277166_349644) and is described in detail in The Moscow Times (themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/18/blacklist-the-groups-shaming-russian-women-who-marry-soldiers-for-money-a89490).

            The women involved in efforts to expose those who marry for money are overwhelmingly pro-war themselves and likely enjoy the support of at least some in the Russian government. The Duma is now considering legislation that will limit the access of such women to such money if they seek divorces (ria.ru/20250512/proekt-2016587422.html).

            But however that may be, the rise of such shaming groups reflects two important realities in Putin’s Russia: the dangers of using money alone to motivate soldiers and others, and the willingness of other Russians to shame those who exploit this arrangement at a time when any public organization is at risk of repression from the Kremlin.