Posted on 05/13/2022 7:27:59 AM PDT by lump in the melting pot
When the soldiers of an elite Russian army brigade were told in early April to prepare for a second deployment to Ukraine, fear broke out among the ranks.
The unit, stationed in Russia’s far east during peacetime, first entered Ukraine from Belarus when the war started at the end of February and saw bitter combat with Ukrainian forces.
“It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. Many of us simply did not want to go back,” said Dmitri, a member of the unit who asked not to be identified with his real name. “I want to return to my family – and not in a casket.”
Along with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he refused to rejoin the invasion. “They were furious. But they eventually calmed down because there wasn’t much they could do,” he said.
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Under Russian military rules, troops who refuse to fight in Ukraine can face dismissal but cannot be prosecuted, said Mikhail Benyash, a lawyer who has been advising soldiers who choose that option.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Don't worry, Dimitri, the Russian military is burning the bodies...............
When the auto-loading carousel in the T-72’s and T-80’s cooks off, the crew return to mother russia as nothing more than a bad smell...
In before the Putinistas call this “fake news”...
Ukrainian men who tried to leave the country with their families were stopped at the border and given a uniform and that’s the way it was.
—yeah—times have sure changed for the Russki army since WW 2—
For Ukraine it’s a fight for existential survival. The mobilization is draconian, but understandable.
I'm no military expert, but I thought that elite units (unlike regular conscripts) are composed of soldiers who enjoy war. They love the challenge, the adrenalin rush, the thrill of combat. That's why they volunteered for all that extra (and extra brutal) training.
This BS is as bad as Daily Mail propaganda...
Can’t you find better trash to litter FR with?
Draftees on foreign soil versus people fighting for their home and country.
No matter who you think are the good guys, or even if there ARE no good guys, this is a huge factor.
War will become impossible with the oncoming Population Collapse, there will be a shortage of young men and old people don’t want to die for their country.
Ooh! You must be one of them "Putinistas" that COBOL2Java warned us about!
It is gratifying to see that there is some rule of law and protection of individual rights in Russia.
Over a hundred years ago there were many fewer people even in Europe, and of those there were fewer fighting age males. And yet they fought WWI.
For example, in France from 1908-1913 the average “conscription class”, those men fit to serve and not otherwise excempt, reaching age 20, was @220,000. These days the equivalent of Frenchmen reaching “military age” (there is no conscription in France these days), would be well over 300,000 (constrained mainly by whatever exemption policy is adopted). France certainly could fight WWI all over again if it had to.
So I doubt that would be a big constraint on future war.
They’ve still got a few warriors.
Summer and Crossbows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIHdR1axIM
Interesting observation from a Russian soldier.
There'll be plenty of young African and Muslim men. Many of them eager to wage war, loot, pillage, and rape their foreign war brides.
I wish I could understand why the Putinistas love anything and everything Russia, and discount anything which criticizes it.
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