That way, he can then declare that Russia is defending itself against invasion, and he can order all men of fighting age (between 18 and 60) to enlist immediately. To date, it's only been those with military experience.
The flood of people attempting to cross the border was in anticipation of the next order.
There are videos and other reports of people breaking their arms/legs and doing other damage to themselves to avoid being healthy this weekend. A terrible situation that's getting worse.
will someone in russia remove this psycho already?
what a mess he has made...
That way, he can then declare that Russia is defending itself against invasion, and he can order all men of fighting age (between 18 and 60) to enlist immediately. To date, it's only been those with military experience.
The flood of people attempting to cross the border was in anticipation of the next order.
There are videos and other reports of people breaking their arms/legs and doing other damage to themselves to avoid being healthy this weekend. A terrible situation that's getting worse.
The conscription notice this week was for those with prior military experience...former military.
The Guardian is reporting this morning that male demonstrators who have been arrested are being given draft papers and in some districts, draft papers are being handed out to men while sitting in their university classes. Men in their 50s and men with young children, regardless of whether they have prior experience, are apparently being drafted.
The suspicion is that whoever is in charge of the draft for a given region has been a quota and at that level, they really don't care who they're drafting. The whole situation is going to get a lot uglier.
BTW, after donating to RP (I donated yesterday :) ), I suggest folks consider donating to Ukraine. The National Bank there has two funds set up where the money goes to either humanitarian aid or to buy kit for their army and police depending on which fund you pick.
My business partner is Russian-born and educated (in the US for 30 years now...just after the wall came down). He has family across Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and a few other USSR outposts.
His words when the "conscription" notices came out..
They were getting folks from rural shitholes, promising money for fighting and families for killed or wounded. Then prisoners and vicious offenders. Now with the main cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novorossiysk... the propaganda is over.
The conscription notice this week was for those with prior military experience...former military. The next (and final) step is for those of age, regardless of prior experience. Fearing that, flights from major cities to Armenia, Turkey, and the middle east are sold out for months now. Education was a way to avoid military service the past few decades, so the educated and upper-class folks are still on the sidelines...but for how long?
If the referendums pass in LNR, DNR, Zaporozhe, and Kherson, Putin will declare those as Russian territories... claim an invasion has occurred on Russian soil, and force wider mandatory military recruitment. The military at that point is a random assortment of people of the right age with some formerly experienced soldiers. It's a mess, and all of the propaganda works less and less on those with connectivity to the outside world. Vlad is in a corner...which isn't really a good thing for anyone.
I don't think they have a chance.
They are morally and materielly bankrupt, to use the military term
Mobilisation marked the point of no return for Putin's loss of control.
It's just going to get worse for him from here on in.
I don't think they have a chance.
They are morally and materielly bankrupt, to use the military term
Mobilisation marked the point of no return for Putin's loss of control.
It's just going to get worse for him from here on in.
an estimate of how both countries stack up
in spite of how poorly russia has performed up until now, i still think they could win some battles
long term, there's not much of a chance of them winning this conflict
putin's ego/hubris will probably feed many more of russia's minorities into the gaping maw of war
âWe do not seek conflict. We do not seek a Cold War,ââ Biden said, referring to the competition with China and beyond. It is a line he has used before. But his own aides acknowledge that in the contests with China and Russia, there is a lot of Cold War-like behavior underway.
