'I share this pain': Putin to mothers of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine

Tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed or wounded on both sides (Ukraine and Russia), according to the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told mothers of soldiers fighting the Ukraine war that he shares their pain and that nothing can replace the loss of a child. "I want you to know: I personally and the entire leadership of the country share this pain," he told a group of 18 mothers ahead of Mother's Day, which Russia will mark on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of military personnel serving in the special military operation ahead of Mother's Day at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, (AP)

"We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son, a child," Putin added.

Tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed or wounded on both sides, according to the United States.

The meeting took place at Putin's residence amid simmering anger in the country over a chaotic military draft and the deaths of soldiers in Ukraine. It was the first such meeting since Putin launched the offensive on February 24 and is being perceived as a sign that the Kremlin is taking the growing malaise seriously.

Concerns were raised after the Kremlin in September announced that hundreds of thousands of well-trained and well-equipped men would be conscripted and sent to the battlefield to bolster Moscow's struggling campaign in Ukraine.

But there were widespread reports of exempted men – the elderly or infirm – being dispatched to the front or conscripts dying after receiving nearly no training, forcing the Kremlin to concede "mistakes".

Putin also told the mothers he met they should be wary of what they read on the internet. "It is clear that life is more complex than what is shown on our TV screens or even on the internet, nothing can be trusted there," he said.

(With AFP, Reuters inputs)