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Ukraine: draft dodgers face jail as Kiev struggles to find new fighters
The Guardian ^ | 10 February 2015 | Shaun Walker

Posted on 02/10/2015 8:10:28 AM PST by McGruff

Ruslan Kotsaba posted a video addressed to the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, last week in which he said he would rather go to prison for five years for draft-dodging than fight pro-Russia rebels in the country’s east. Now he faces 15 years in jail after being arrested for treason and obstructing the military.

His case is symptomatic of Kiev’s difficulties in mobilising a war-weary society to continue the fight against the rebels, who appear to have an unlimited supply of weapons and training from Russia. As the country nears bankruptcy and the reform programme demanded by the Maidan revolution last year is sidelined by the war effort, the drive to call up new recruits is floundering.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ukraine
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There was a recent story about drafting women.
1 posted on 02/10/2015 8:10:28 AM PST by McGruff
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To: McGruff

Wish they’d face jail time HERE...


2 posted on 02/10/2015 8:14:14 AM PST by Old Sarge (Its the Sixties all over again, but with crappy music...)
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To: McGruff

It would be the same here. I am trying to imagine people risking their own lives to keep these people in government in power.


3 posted on 02/10/2015 8:15:37 AM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Old Sarge
Wish they’d face jail time HERE...

Volunteer for the military, don't show up, and see what happens.

4 posted on 02/10/2015 8:19:52 AM PST by Drew68
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To: McGruff

I can’t think of a possible reason if I was a Ukrainian for risking my life to fight for one rich, corrupt oligarch against another rich, corrupt oligarch.

Its not like either the West or the Ukrainian oligarchs care one whit for the lives of ordinary Ukrainians. Its just pawns being captured on the chessboard, for those b*st*rds.


5 posted on 02/10/2015 8:23:14 AM PST by baltimorepoet
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To: Drew68

They aren’t talking about volunteering here.


6 posted on 02/10/2015 8:23:52 AM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: McGruff

So only about half are going along with their draft?

As some here have suggested, it’s no problem, just send our people to fight for them.


7 posted on 02/10/2015 8:33:35 AM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: McGruff

Meanwhile, Ukrainians with MONEY can buy their kid out of Conscription for $2-3,000US, or buy an assingment to the “Kiev-1” parade battalion, like Poro’s kid.

They even sell commissions.

Russia claimed a couple of weeks ago that there are over 1 million men of “military age” now on Visa’s in Russia, and he has extended the amount of time they can stay.


8 posted on 02/10/2015 8:41:40 AM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: baltimorepoet

Could you fight for Putin?


9 posted on 02/10/2015 8:58:08 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: tcrlaf

How many Americans fought for freedom in the War of Independence? How many Americans avoided the Civil War? How many Americans dodged the draft during the Vietnam war? Did you serve in a military branch?


10 posted on 02/10/2015 9:00:10 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: elhombrelibre
Could you fight for Putin?

No.
He's one of the "other" corrupt oligarchs I mentioned.

I would fight for an actual sovereign United States that is governed by a Constitution, but in this age of globalist oligarchs that have no loyalty to the US or its Constitution, I'm not sure that leaves much to fight for.
11 posted on 02/10/2015 9:08:28 AM PST by baltimorepoet
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To: baltimorepoet

I understand. Better Hitler than Blum.


12 posted on 02/10/2015 9:09:44 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: McGruff

The problem with this is that you are going to see more Ukrainian soldiers defecting to Russia or to the rebels in the east, and will wind up fighting Ukraine.


13 posted on 02/10/2015 9:10:28 AM PST by Thunder90 (All posts soley represent my own opinion.)
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To: McGruff

Not surprising.

Ukrainians don’t want to enlist in the regime’s crusade against their own people.

Its asking them to kill Russian-speaking Ukrainians and there’s widespread apathy.

Kiev can’t win if it pursues Russophobe policies.

No wonder it doesn’t have a viable military option and at the end of the day the only basis to preserve Ukraine is to create a federal state.

That’s after tens of thousands of lives have been wasted for nothing.


14 posted on 02/10/2015 9:11:55 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Old Sarge

You know that the draft ended,,, don’t you?


15 posted on 02/10/2015 9:31:20 AM PST by DesertRhino (I was standing with a rifle, waiting for soviet paratroopers, but communists just ran for office.)
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To: McGruff
7 years ago, when I visited Ukraine, I took many candy bars to give out to children when I was to be in a few small villages. I was only able to give out a couple candy bars because the villages are almost bereft of children!?!?

It is going to be very difficult without outside help to man an army. This country is very likely in a demographic death spiral like much of the west.
16 posted on 02/10/2015 9:39:58 AM PST by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: elhombrelibre
How many Americans fought for freedom in the War of Independence?

You know that's all those in Donetsk and Luhansk want right?

17 posted on 02/10/2015 9:57:19 AM PST by McGruff (Haters Gonna Hate)
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To: McGruff

Hey, I hope you don’t think those nuts in Donetsk and Luhansk have the right to seize government, and establish an order that pleases them simply because they disagree with a policy.

Hey,,wait just a second,,,


18 posted on 02/10/2015 10:04:17 AM PST by DesertRhino (I was standing with a rifle, waiting for soviet paratroopers, but communists just ran for office.)
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To: McGruff

Russia is a draftee military.

While Russia depends mostly on 1 year draftees, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to Ukraine now having to implement a draft to fight them.

Let’s hope that Ukraine survives this invasion and can keep the Russian Army from reaching our NATO borders.


19 posted on 02/10/2015 10:08:31 AM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: baltimorepoet

They are throwing a Ukraine journalist in prison for encouraging people to dodge the draft and for calling it a “civil war” instead of an “invasion”.

Ukraine is also considering travel restrictions on its citizens so they can’t leave.

“Transcript of Court Ruling against Ruslan Kotsaba
Ukraine anti-war Journalist”
http://mondbasis.com/kotsaba.html


20 posted on 02/10/2015 10:15:48 AM PST by Rusty0604
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