Ukraine’s Zelensky appeals to moms of Russian troops: Don’t let your kids go to war

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on the mothers of Russian soldiers to prevent their sons being sent to war in Ukraine.

“I want to say this once again to Russian mothers, especially mothers of conscripts. Do not send your children to war in a foreign country,” Zelensky says in a video address released on Telegram.

“Check where your son is. And if you have the slightest suspicion that your son could be sent to war against Ukraine, act immediately” to prevent him being killed or captured, he says.

“Ukraine never wanted this terrible war. And Ukraine does not want it. But it will defend itself as much as necessary,” he adds.

On Wednesday, Russia for the first time acknowledged the presence of conscripts in Ukraine and announced that a number of them had been taken prisoner.

Moscow had previously claimed that only professional soldiers were fighting there.

The announcement came as posts from mothers without news of their sons sent to Ukraine multiply on social networks.

Kyiv last week invited mothers of Russian soldiers captured on its territory to come and pick their children up.