Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion

Rajma

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Tragic that many of them will never return home, all because they were forced to become cannon fodder to protect the megalomanical interests of one man.
Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
 

dove

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
I think we should not underestimate the effectiveness of the propaganda. Many of those people most likely actually believe they are defending their country and will be seen as heroes.
 

Dans

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
Honestly, 15 years is a very long time - I'd not imagine that is an easy decision to make. Plus even if they could, I am sure they will be pressured into going anyway with stories of what would happen to them in prison. Hopefully a sizeable number defect.
 

Raoul

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
It’s a tough choice between a 15 year prison sentence and the potential prospect of fighting for a period of time then returning to one’s family. No guarantees of course, especially since Putin has already moved the goalposts several times with previous soldier contracts.
 

Hugh Jass

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
Russian prisons are absolutely horrible.
 

Gambit

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Looks like they're playing with the old Stalin play book. The enemy may have more ammunition, but we have more bodies and they're cheaper. This could be a bloodbath. Hopefully the Russians will turn on Putin now.
 

Erebus

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
I think the kind of sentence, threats to members of their families, and the repercussions in prison might just be said to be co-ercion. Of course they're being forced - given the choice I suspect very, very few of those young men would be there.
 

Fully Fledged

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
Are they being given that choice. I remember when we had conscription over here we didn't have the choice of going to jail in stead. You fought or were hung as a deserter

At dawn on October 18, 1916, Private Harry Farr of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) is executed for cowardice after he refused to go forward into the front-line trenches on the Western Front during World War I.
.
 

carvajal

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Does anyone know how many troops Ukraine has on the frontline and what is their situation in terms of reserves, recruitment and training?
 
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Fully Fledged

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Does anyone know how many troops Ukraine has on the frontline and what is their situation is in terms of reserves, recruitment and training?
This was as of 11 July but take it with a pinch of salt. I don't know if there is a independently verified figure. Just added a sky source don't know which one is true.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62118953
"We need more, quickly, to save the lives of our soldiers. Each day we're waiting for howitzers, we can lose a hundred soldiers," he said.
The defence minister added: "We have approximately 700,000 in the armed forces and when you add the national guard, police, border guard, we are around a million-strong."
https://news.sky.com/story/russia-ukraine-crisis-how-big-are-their-militaries-12542052
Russia outmatches Ukraine in regular military manpower by almost 5 to 1. It has 900,000 active military personnel across its forces, compared with Ukraine's 196,600.
 

P-Ro

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Nobody is forcing them, if you’re a decent human being you take a prison sentence or hide if you can (Russia is massive and it’s difficult trace someone), now they’re heading for a certain death as Nazis. They would revolt if people would be dead against it 100%.
Your recent posts remind me of this scene:

 

The Purley King

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This is desperately sad to see.
I know at the end it’s people dying for little reason (in this war especially) but it’s different if it’s professional soldiers where if you choose to sign up there is a chance you might have to fight and get killed.
This is like cattle on the way to the abattoir.
 

Rajma

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Your recent posts remind me of this scene:

Yeah yeah, it doesn’t take much convincing for them:
Until west understands that Russian people are real nazis nothing will change, it’s not Putin. Did you not see Paxi’s posts in this thread? Well that’s how at least 50% of russian think.
 

Raoul

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Yeah yeah, it doesn’t take much convincing for them:
Until west understands that Russian people are real nazis nothing will change, it’s not Putin. Did you not see Paxi’s posts in this thread? Well that’s how at least 50% of russian think.
Nationalism is definitely a problem, but so is constant propaganda that supports the conditions for radicalization and dehumanization of Ukrainians. When you are limited on your sources of news and information, you are likely to buy into what the state is selling.
 

maniak

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Does the caf have a "biggest balls award"? I want to nominate someone.
 

maniak

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Now you have to have balls to say basic facts in this thread?
Didn't you admit a couple of pages back you share stuff you know is not true?

Or your fact that 50% of russians are nazis just a few posts back?

Look, I'm sure most people in this thread, if not all, want ukraine to win, but the way you reduce everything to a black and white situation is a bit ridiculous.
 

NotThatSoph

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Until west understands that Russian people are real nazis nothing will change, it’s not Putin. Did you not see Paxi’s posts in this thread? Well that’s how at least 50% of russian think.
This nazi spiel you've got going on is very interesting. The only, and I mean only, reason you're doing it is as a propagandic response to Putin's rhetoric about Ukraine and nazism; the 'no u' of IR. Russia has their nazis, like many others: you famously have the Wagner group with their inspirations, and there are other small groups spread aroud, several of them of the nazbol variety partly inspired by Dugin and his ilk. Russian ideology or society are, however, not driven by nazism, neither from top-down or from grassroots. You wouldn't call America or Americans nazis because of Atomwaffen and several other relatively small groups, and you wouldn't call Ukraine or Ukrainians nazis because of Azov, even back in 2014.

You don't have to be a nazi to be authoritarian, or fascist, or genocidal, or racist, or whatever. Nazism is a specific ideology with specific tenets, and this is not it. You're making it up because you think it's useful, and now you're evolving from calling Putin and/or the state apparatus nazis to even the Russian people. The only question is if this is yet another crazy take, where you're fooling yourself, or if it's part of your self-confessed "informational warfare campaign" where you're just lying.
 

Rajma

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Didn't you admit a couple of pages back you share stuff you know is not true?

Or your fact that 50% of russians are nazis just a few posts back?

Look, I'm sure most people in this thread, if not all, want ukraine to win, but the way you reduce everything to a black and white situation is a bit ridiculous.
It’s very close to being black and white though. What’s not clear for you in all this? Russians have been brainwashed into being imperialist nationalists to the core, I’m sorry you can’t see it. Many live in informational vacuum alright (don’t get the news from any other sources) but it doesn’t change that simple fact. After Putin reign we’ll still have to deal with the brainwashed nation, people should stop living under the illusion that it will become all rosy once he leaves.
 
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maniak

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It’s very close to being black and white though. What’s not clear for you in all this?
You claimed 50% of russians are nazis. It's a pretty extraordinary claim to put forward without extraordinary evidence.
 

harms

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Are they being given that choice. I remember when we had conscription over here we didn't have the choice of going to jail in stead. You fought or were hung as a deserter
The quote suggests that he was already at the frontline. If they decide to desert there I wouldn’t be surprised if they were killed (there were many similar reports about killings, imprisonment and torture of those who refused to fight). If they decide not to abide by their conscription, they should just get in jail, but in the current Russia you can never be sure of how different laws are going to be implemented (or ignored).
 

Bosnian_fan

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You really are taking this too far in my opinion to Rajma. It's as if you have hatred towards Russian people in general.

As for mobilized people having choices, it's ridiculous. Russia would never allow itself to depend on choice only. I'm sure there are promises of treating family well if they go to fight, or not so well if they go to prison.

Yeah, they should let their kids die from hunger while rotting in prison.
 

Rajma

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You claimed 50% of russians are nazis. It's a pretty extraordinary claim to put forward without extraordinary evidence.
Well even the most liberal people (which make up like 10% of country give or take) celebrated the genocide of Ukrainians in Donbass and occupation of Crimea. Most supported genocidal war up until now, does that not qualify you as a nazi just on this basis alone? It does in my book. It’s also the most racist country in Europe by far, I think you can connect the dots. Just look how they treat their own ethnic minorities.
 

harms

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This was as of 11 July but take it with a pinch of salt. I don't know if there is a independently verified figure. Just added a sky source don't know which one is true.
It’s worth noting that the Russian force in Ukraine is usually estimated to be between 150-200k. That active military personnel number doesn’t seem to indicate the number of available manpower in reserve though.

Although it gets evermore confusing considering that Russia also uses Rosgvardia, “volunteer” forces made up from DNR & LNR conscripts and private military organizations and all of them aren’t technically part of the Russian army and don’t count towards that active military personnel number.
 

maniak

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Well even the most liberal people (which make up like 10% of country give or take) celebrated the genocide of Ukrainians in Donbass and occupation of Crimea. Most supported genocidal war up until now, does that not qualify you as a nazi just on this basis alone? It does in my book.
You sound like those american trumpers who call everyone communists without knowing what it means.

And I'd like to know where you're pulling these random percentages from. It sounds like you're making them up as you post.
 

tomaldinho1

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Well even the most liberal people (which make up like 10% of country give or take) celebrated the genocide of Ukrainians in Donbass and occupation of Crimea. Most supported genocidal war up until now, does that not qualify you as a nazi just on this basis alone? It does in my book. It’s also the most racist country in Europe by far, I think you can connect the dots.
I have no idea how you've come to this conclusion, the few local Russian posters we have (which I am assuming is probably your only actual contact with a Russian) are very clearly anti-Putin and anti-war.
 

Rajma

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I have no idea how you've come to this conclusion, the few local Russian posters we have (which I am assuming is probably your only actual contact with a Russian) are very clearly anti-Putin and anti-war.
These are massive outliers let me tell you that. I’m glad they exist meaning not all is lost but they’ll tell you themselves that there are handful people like them in the country. Massive respect though.
 

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It’s worth noting that the Russian force in Ukraine is usually estimated to be between 150-200k. That active military personnel number doesn’t seem to indicate the number of available manpower in reserve though.

Although it gets evermore confusing considering that Russia also uses Rosgvardia, “volunteer” forces made up from DNR & LNR conscripts and private military organizations and all of them aren’t technically part of the Russian army and don’t count towards that active military personnel number.
Cheers. They were 2 sources I could find in the UK but basic numbers mean nothing, you need someone how has more accurate knowledge.
 

carvajal

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This was as of 11 July but take it with a pinch of salt. I don't know if there is a independently verified figure. Just added a sky source don't know which one is true.
Thanks for the links. I got to thinking about it when it became known about conscription and the Ukrainian defence ministry(?) said they assumed it and were prepared(or something similar)
But to what extent are they prepared. Even if they are not the best soldiers 15000/20000 men on each front can be a lot of pressure. I don't know if counter-attacks like Kharkiv/Izium would have been possible, unless I am underestimating Ukrainian logistics, organisation and weapons
 

harms

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Well even the most liberal people (which make up like 10% of country give or take) celebrated the genocide of Ukrainians in Donbass and occupation of Crimea. Most supported genocidal war up until now, does that not qualify you as a nazi just on this basis alone? It does in my book. It’s also the most racist country in Europe by far, I think you can connect the dots. Just look how they treat their own ethnic minorities.
Who were these guys then? In 2014.


 

TMDaines

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How many metres can you walk into Ukraine armed and still identify as a liberal/anti-war/anti-Putin?