Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told a group of mothers whose sons are fighting in Ukraine that he shares the pain of those who have lost loved ones in the conflict.

The carefully choreographed meeting at Putin's residence took place as anger simmers in Russia over a chaotic military draft and deaths of soldiers in Ukraine.

At least one woman at the meeting wore a black headscarf, apparently marking a recent loss.

"I want you to know – I personally and the entire leadership of the country share this pain," Putin told the group ahead of Mother's Day, which is celebrated in Russia on Sunday. "We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son, a child."

He offered condolences to one of the women saying her son did not die "in vain" and reiterated his pledge to fulfil Moscow's goals in Ukraine.

Russian authorities have introduced legislation that effectively bans any public criticism of the offensive. Kremlin critics accuse authorities of concealing the real number of dead and wounded Russian troops.

Putin told the 17 women that Moscow was fighting the "neo-Nazi regime" in Ukraine and warned that 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.

Anger and concern have built across Russia since September, when the Kremlin 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 chaos ensued, with 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".

The meeting – the first of its kind since Putin launched the offensive on February 24 – is a sign that the Kremlin takes the growing malaise seriously. (AFP)