Disillusionment Creeps In For Ukraine Volunteers Amid Combat Brutality

Barrons ^ | June 26, 2022 | By Anna MALPAS, with Blaise GAUQUELIN in Kharkiv

[Zhang Fei]

Foreign fighters who have joined Ukrainian forces battling Russia's invasion have been shocked by the brutality of the war and some say that disillusionment is creeping in.

"They fought in Afghanistan or in Iraq and say they aren't ready" for what they face in Ukraine, says Polak, of his Western comrades who have signed up to fight.

Polak -- whose nationality AFP is withholding to protect his anonymity -- estimates there are "perhaps several hundred" foreign fighters who have taken up arms for Kyiv since the invasion began.

"Honestly, we have quite a few cowards" serving in the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine, he says, speaking to AFP at a supermarket cafe at Kramatorsk in the eastern Donbas region to which Russia lays claim.

"Sometimes after the first fighting exchanges they will say, 'we aren't prepared for that' and they go home," says Polak, as he offers a rare insight into the experiences of foreign citizens who have joined up.

He indicates a wide mix of nationalities in the Legion -- "Canadians, Georgians, Croatians," he says.

But, they have not been trained to fight in a war involving artillery attack.

"Elon Musk, if you can hear me -- we need help!"

That was the plea to the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, on Friday from a former American GI serving in the northern city of Kharkiv at a press conference.

The reality of what they are up against has been thrown into stark relief with the recent deaths of a Dutchman, a Frenchman, a German and an Australian.

Separatist pro-Russian authorities have also handed down death sentences to two Britons and a Moroccan who have been fighting for Ukraine and have appealed the verdicts.

In early June, Russia reported its forces had killed "hundreds" of foreign combatants

[Cathi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fn4vNYNRzA

I just wanted to add something that I was reading yesterday and sent to you. There has been a very interesting article published by RUSI. RUSI is the United Royal Services Institute. It is the primary think tank of the British Army. It was created and set up in the 1830’s by none other than the Duke of Wellington who was the general who defeated Napolean at Waterloo. So that gives you an idea of how old and established it is.

And, anyway, this article basically said that the Russians are cranking out shells and missiles at rates that even the United States can’t keep up with. And that the Russians expend in a period of ten days to 2 weeks in Donbass more shells...they fire more shells than the U.S. produces in a year. And that they have used more cruise missiles in four months than the entire annual production of cruise missiles in the United States multiplied by, I think is was, a factor of three.

So with no sign of stress, with no sign that they are running out. So when you look at these numbers you understand that there is no possibility of any giant re-equipment of the Ukrainian army with some western weaponry which will enable the Ukrainians to launch counter attacks. There wouldn’t be time to train Ukrainian troops to use them anyway.

But, those numbers of military hardware the west could provide would be quickly submerged by the much bigger production that the Russians seem to have organized of these things at the moment. So far from Russia being the petrol station masquerading as a country, in critical areas of arms production it’s actually out producing the United States, itself. And I am not saying that...that is from the primary think tank of the British army.

[Zhang Fei]

[Ah, the old demonrat playbook in use. When losing an argument resort to name calling and be sure it includes nazi.]

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The Democrats call people Nazis just for disagreeing with them on fairly pedestrian things like abortion and revolving door justice. The Russians are turning Ukraine into piles of rubble leavened with meat scraps unless it surrenders and you are backing Russia. That makes you the nearest thing to a Nazi this side of the 21st century. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. Being a Nazi sympathizer is not the same thing as being a Nazi. A Nazi has actually killed the lice the rest of the world considers people. The commonality between you and the Nazis is that you consider Ukrainians lice. Again, it’s a free country, and you can think whatever you want.

[Monterrosa-24]

The cabal that controls Biden can spend the big money but not deliver the goods. Nixon could supply Israel during the ‘73 war with the big stuff and lots of it. These Biden zip wads really don’t care about faraway affairs and would rather misspend money at home trying to buy votes and fabricate votes.

[A strike]

Elon Musk did not send you there.

[bagster]

The Russians are turning Ukraine into piles of rubble leavened with meat scraps

you consider Ukrainians lice.

[bagster]

: )

[map]

“Polak — whose nationality AFP is withholding to protect his anonymity —”

Any guesses?

[BenLurkin]

[familyop]

"Western leaders are strangling Ukraine while pretending to prop it up because their voters are aghast at the carnage Russia is inflicting while simultaneously being impressed at the valor displayed by Ukrainian fighting men and women."

They're afraid that Ukrainians will hit targets in Russia with western equipment. And they're afraid of that, because the Russians have repeatedly implied threats to launch nuclear weapons (nuclear blackmail, terrorism). Each politician wants to kick that can into the next politician's term, so they allow communist/fascist expansionism to continue towards a much more difficult war in the near future. It's a recurring historical error.

[Spktyr]

That said, our most modern artillery is surprisingly old and in the process of having a replacement developed.

[bagster]

“Polak — whose nationality AFP is withholding to protect his anonymity —”

Any guesses?

[familyop]

Russian missiles massively rained down on Kyiv, casualties among civilians. The 123rd day of war
https://youtu.be/_fZTQBfMePc

North Saltivka district of Kharkiv remained in ruins: Prosecutors record consequences of shelling
https://youtu.be/tZUPHRGuiSU

Consequences of Russia’s missile attack on Kyiv: Russian citizen wounded by hit
https://youtu.be/srwIcaMSfxU

Russia’s Putin strives to involve the army of Belarus in the war against Ukraine
https://youtu.be/VJpQbFdcCuY

[Cathi]

https://t.me/s/mincerchannel

The meeting of G7 leaders has begun. Boris Johnson first suggested stripping to the waist to look cooler than Putin. The idea was supported by Ursula Von der Leyen.🤦‍♀️

Johnson: In jackets? No jackets? Need to undress?
Trudeau: Let’s wait until they take a photo.
Johnson : We all have to show that we are cooler than Putin.
Trudeau : We’ll put on a bare-chested riding show.
Von der Leyen : Oh yes! Horse riding is the best.
Johnson: We should show them our pecs.

But for some reason we doubt that Mrs. Ursula’s “pectoral muscles” are better than Putin’s. Perhaps that is why the idea was abandoned. @mincerchannel
39.9Kviews
12:32

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The West is in good hands....:((((((

[JudgemAll]

Letting Russia win would be a catastrophe... Or, rather, an extension of further moralization of a mortal enemy and demoralization of us since Russia all along was supporting Talebans to Vietnamize Afghanistan while waiting for a Biden to waltz in and pull out.

That being said I know plenty of bored Ukie women in America who don’t care and are not watching the news anymore despite having relatives there, sticking a fork in it.

Some of them are proud to have had relatives in the past both the Nazi and Soviet camp... maybe they play both sides, maybe this is one of those Marxist synthesis of using the criminals to lock up both the civilian victims and criminals under their control.

It is a effed up de.oralizinf world for us and Ukrainians, imo.

[bagster]

The West is in good hands....:((((((

[Widget Jr]

Do you mean this article The Return of Industrial Warfare?

[Widget Jr]

#5. The claim Russia sent in their second bet first is not true. The Russian order of battle is known. They sent in the highly regarded units and special forces in the first wave. Instead of overwhelming Ukraine as planned they got slaughtered.

Saying the Russians sent in their second line forces first, is just a way to explain away how badly Russia forces performed. What the invasion showed is how bad the entire state of the Russian military from the privates to Putin really is.

[jpsb]

Yup, Ukraine should have taken the deal offered by Russia before the fighting started.

[JonPreston]

You’ve been missed. It only took you 12 posts to call a non-interventionist a Nazi.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Putin is just another Stalin and Hitler. This genocide is SOP with them.