Russia’s ruling party gifts actual meat grinders to mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and in the Far Northern town of Polyarnye Zori, members of Russia’s ruling party marked the holiday by gifting local mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine an unusual present: actual meat grinders. The move sparked a predictable backlash, but the party members defended it, claiming the women had specifically requested the appliances and accusing critics of spreading “provocative interpretations.” Here’s how the scandal unfolded.

In the town of Polyarnye Zori in Russia’s Murmansk region, members of the country’s ruling United Russia party marked International Women’s Day by giving flowers and meat grinders to the mothers of soldiers killed in the war against Ukraine.

According to the local party branch’s social media account, the gifts were part of a campaign called “Flowers for the Mothers of Heroes.” The gifts were presented by Anna Makhunova, the local party branch secretary, and the town’s mayor, Maksim Chengayev.

Activist Violetta Grudina noted that after social media users criticized the gifts as inappropriate, the party disabled comments on the post.

Shortly afterward, United Russia’s Murmansk regional branch published a video of one of the mothers thanking the party for the meat grinder, saying she “actually needed one.”

Chengayev said that the campaign included a variety of household appliances. “The meat grinder wasn’t part of the standard set, but the woman requested it, and of course, we couldn’t refuse. We provide full support and individual assistance to the families of participants in the special military operation with great respect and understanding,” he said.

The party claimed its gesture was being misrepresented and urged the public “not to support inhumane and provocative interpretations.”

In 2023, Miroslava Reginskaya, the wife of former Russian intelligence officer and internationally convicted war criminal Igor Strelkov, posted a video that appeared to show 21 military widows from the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” receiving fur coats from Moscow. After the video shoot, however, at least three of the women reportedly had to return the coats and were told they had received them by mistake.