March 23, 2026

Pro-War Babushkas Evicted


Pro-War Babushkas Evicted
An unexpected series of setbacks has halted a Russian volunteer organization’s efforts in support of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dmitry Steshin via KP Photobank

A Russian volunteer group responsible for sending camouflage nets to the frontlines in support of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has recently faced a major setback: they're facing an eviction notice from their workspace. Surprisingly, the challenge came from Russia’s very own DOSAAF, the Volunteer Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy.

In March, the group's leader, Tatyana Ermakova, received a letter from DOSAAF stating that the Udmurt volunteers would be evicted from their workshop before their lease expired. Allegedly, the babushkas were in violation of fire safety and sanitary regulations.

These women in Russia's Udmurt Republic started weaving camouflage nets and covers in October 2022, aiding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The group, called Udmurtia Does Not Abandon Its Own, has been instrumental in supplying materials that bolster Russian aggression, carefully crafting nets that conceal Russian positions.

The group’s leader, 64-year-old Ermakova, makes monthly trips from Izhevsk to Russian-occupied regions of Eastern Ukraine, a nearly 2,500-mile round-trip. She has personally delivered over 1.5 million square feet of nets made by her workshop. Last November, donations from families of Russian soldiers repaired her car after a breakdown, as a way to show gratitude for her war-sustaining efforts. 

Sergei Bogatyrev, chairman of the regional DOSAAF branch, was particularly upset about the production workshop. He commented that “we do not have war in Udmurtia,” referring to the leased space, which looked more like a wartime factory than an office.

 

You Might Also Like

One War Volunteer's Story
  • February 24, 2026

One War Volunteer's Story

Ukrainian author Andriy Lyubka chronicles his work supporting the fight against Russian aggression.
TikTok Gets Cultured
  • January 01, 2022

TikTok Gets Cultured

TikTok isn’t just for kiddies these days. The video streaming platform offers a range of people, such as those of Russia’s many ethnic groups, the opportunity to educate others about their cultures.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955