Who is Ignored Member ? It can’t be me. I’m like a civilian in Donetsk. Every time I step out I’m subject to shelling.
That is true. Russia has a large bank of manpower with previous military experience because of universal conscription. Essentially, you serve for two years as a draftee and then they bank you back into society. We have a similar thing here called the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), not be confused with what most people think of when they think of the Guard and Reserve. After a person’s contract is up, they remain in the IRR for a couple of years in case of a national emergency and have almost no military obligations except maybe the occasional medical check up, which they are paid to attend. The differences between what we do and what Russia does are that our military personnel are initially all volunteers, all serve for not less than four years versus two, and are not in the IRR for more than a few years versus until old age. Reminds me of a darkly humorous story from my early Marine Corps days. For the initial invasion of Iraq, the U.S. effected a stop loss (only time it happened, contrary to what the movies say) and activated a small number of IRR based on low-density specialties. In my squadron we had exactly one who joined us over in Kuwait, a good looking blonde woman who was a generator mechanic. Well, one day one of the other Marines asked her a basic question about a generator, and she answered him with quite a bit of frustrated attitude: “I don’t know. I’ve been out for years. We no longer use the kind of generator I know anything about. I’ve got a baby at home now. I had to drop a semester of college for this bullshit. And I think my husband is probably [having extramarital sexual relations with] the babysitter. Any other questions?” Reportedly, he had none. Now that was just one disgruntled involuntarily activated person who was for the most part safe back in Kuwait. Imagine units full of them actually under hostile fire.
Reasonable inferences based on real facts, specifically the performance of your military in Ukraine, you know the side whose victory was so overwhelming that as a gesture of good will they left serviceable military equipment for their defeated adversaries,
And somehow 6,000 Ukrainians managed to die in the counter-offensive. Maybe they tripped over bicycles.
Western media is looking for unhappy Russians like they looked for any “healthy people cut down by Covid” in 2020.
This is the IRR in the Marine Corps today. When I signed up back in '76 the agreement was for 6 years with 2yr / 4yr enlistments. Meaning 2yr active / 4yr inactive reserves - 4yr active / 2yr inactive reserves. 6yr and over of active duty service your obligation was completed and the rules for inactive reserve no longer applied. Of course there was always the option of going into the active reserves right out of boot camp or anytime after your contract was fulfilled.
In the case of the former they won't have to look very far. They can always visit airports to find Russians "voting with their feet". Russians rush for flights out amid partial reservist call-up As matter of fact since Putin announced his mobilization so many Russian "tourists" have decided to visit Finland that the Finnish government is considering restricting border crossings. Finland mulls barring Russians from entering as border traffic grows Apparently they're still welcoming the Russians Finnish border guards will allow fleeing Russians to enter
I’ve seen the airport videos. Powerful. Old men, women, children and babies fleeing conscription. Attrition is so high the Russians will take anyone.
Old women, children and babies? Panicking Over Putin's Military Call-up, Young Men Scramble to Leave Russia ‘A Lot of Panic’: Russian Men, Fearing Ukraine Draft, Seek Refuge Abroad Russians will take anyone? Actually seems accurate. Russia Is Sending A Fresh Army Corps To Ukraine. Its Troops Are ‘Unfit And Old.’
Good looking college blonde alone in the dessert angry at her husband needing help to operate her generator and he had nothing?
I’m certain when that story made the rounds she had no shortage of young suitors looking for a “desert wife.”
Sounds like Russians aren’t sympathizing with the disgruntled few. From your article ... “I’m frustrated at the Russians, because none of them are rising up for their children’s sake,” he added. “But I’m the same way myself. I can’t go out now carrying a sign, because I’d apparently be arrested, fined and thrown in jail for a few days.” Covid —> Ukraine
“The articles were authored by a man named David Axe, who is my new favorite small-time war propagandist because he’s so desperate to be recognized for his imperialist stenography that he often approaches his spin jobs in an informatively unskillful and ham-fisted way. The best one I’ve found so far is this 2013 piece about the time he spent with the “rebels” of Syria, who he takes great pains to assure us are not terrorists or extremists but brave freedom fighters who’d successfully “liberated” large swathes of Syrian territory.” US Wars Kill More Like a Python Than a Tiger
Not defending whatever the US backed rebels may have done in Syria but it pales into insignificance compared with the atrocities committed by Assad and your guy Vladimir. Russia/Syria: War Crimes in Month of Bombing Aleppo Syrians recount horror under Russian air attacks More Than 300 Chemical Attacks Launched During Syrian Civil War, Study Says 'Almost 1,500 killed in chemical weapons attacks' in Syria Russia/Syria: Flurry of Prohibited Weapons Attacks By the way because Russia has been encountering effective resistance from the Ukrainian military Putin has resorted to bombing and missile attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure almost straight out of his Syrian playbook. How Russia is using tactics from the Syrian playbook in Ukraine
Is that because Russians are too lazy to run for their lives in winter? Because that's what they've spent most of the summer doing, so they should be tired from all of the running by winter.
The strategy of holding ground, at any cost, hasn’t worked any better for today’s Nazis as it did for yesterday’s Nazis ... https://www.theamericanconservative.com/holding-ground-losing-war/
Yes, that's true Cape and who exactly is the initiator of all this pain? Also you suggest many predict an outcome positive to Ukraine / the West. I didn't predict that. I DO HOPE for THAT. I'm afraid your alternative arguments that support Putins totalitarian disposition, methinks, would be generally worse for all citizens of the world as compared to a resolution favorable to NATO and the Ukraine, but that's merely the opinion of a pro Western Democracy supporter. Just curious - which side do you "wish" to come out on the better end of this, and how about answering the question instead of offering vague political generalities.
“The former head of a Russian aviation research institute died on Wednesday, reportedly by falling down the stairs, in the latest in a string of deaths of Russian officials. The Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) university announced the death of Anatoly Gerashchenko, 72, saying he died "as a result of an accident." A Kremlin ally died falling down the stairs, report says — the latest in a series of unexplained deaths among prominent Russians
I think you need to go back and read everything I have posted as my alternative arguments do not support Putin's views. Everyone one of the issues I have brought forward are in direct relation to the war that is currently being waged. Find one post on this thread or anywhere else that I have stated I am in Putin's corner on this matter. I have done nothing more than provide analysis and Putin's side of the argument which must be heard to understand his mind set. The US, NATO and Ukraine do not have a favorable resolution given Putin's stance on the matter. At this juncture your wishes and hopes along with everyone else's does not matter when it comes to Putin. The only thing that matters at this point is when and how this war will come to an end. At this point we have seen tit-for-tat as would be expected in any field of conflict. As the war continues to escalate on both sides the question still remains as to will be the victor in all of this. Russia or Ukraine and while that is being decided the global economy continues to tank and people who are not on the front lines of this war continue to suffer.
have to wonder if he spoke out for or against Putin, publicly or privately. The air force is mismanaged and being badly outmaneuvered suffering tremendous losses. Their pilots are not wanting to enter the combat area and the ones they are getting are losing planes, and their lives, doing it. Maybe the AF is his baby and he spoke against the way corruption and cronyism has left it impotent??
