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There is a contingent of very rich Ukrainian youth living in the Philippines. They hang out at a resort there. I met them while vacationing. They have been there for years.

I don't fault them. I wouldn't want to fight for Zelensky's corrupt regime either.

If the Telegraph article is accurate you have a situation in Russia where military service is honored, and almost required for a political career. That speaks well of the position of the military in Russian society.

And you also have a system where even the children of the elite go into the Army, albeit in a cush assignment. Sort of like George W. Bush doing National Guard air-force during the Vietnam era.

In America the children of the elite don't even think about going into the Army. We are on generation 2 of the all-volunteer force. Most of the Congress have no military experience.

So, while it's obviously unfair to have this situation in Russia, when I compare it to our system, I think it's probably better. The military is more integrated into society, and everyone has to be part of it for a while.

In Ukraine the rich got out early, and are not going back. The Ukrainians are using press gangs to fill their ranks, which is bad if you are press ganged.

In Russia everyone is supposed to do one year of military service. The bulk of the Russian military are people who sign contracts to stay on at the end of the mandatory service. (As I understand it, having done some research on this topic previously. But I'm not a Russian speaker, so don't have first-hand experience on this topic.)