MOSCOW - As the second anniversary of the Ukraine conflict looms, the female relatives of Russia's mobilized men are becoming more and more outspoken in calling for their loved ones to come home, with their pickets and impassioned appeals gaining traction on social media.

Their activism, whilst largely ignored by state media, remains a sensitive issue for the Kremlin, which is keen to project an image of national unity around President Vladimir Putin ahead of his inevitable re-election in a vote in March.

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