I meant “Screw them” referring to the scum in power from then to now in the Soviet Union and Russia who want to paint their sacrifices in whatever light suits them.
Not the memory of the individuals. They were just people who trusted their government only to find out what their government was really like when they woke up to a knock on the door.
I don’t think a lot of those Russian soldiers trusted their government. I think a lot of them had no choice, and no say in the matter. Here, a draft Dodger would face jail. There, they would have faced summary execution. Also, I think the average Russian probably had a mindset that would be hard for us to understand. You passionately hate your government, and at the same time you have to set that aside for the Nazis who you hate even more. I think that explains a lot of the desperation and bitterness on the Eastern Front.