There are a huge amount of conversations registered between soldiers and their family in Russia. Some examples I listened to: Chechen soldier calling his wife. Wife: where are you fighting? Not too much dangerous I hope. Soldier: no i am safe, not in the frontline. Wife: what are you doing then? Soldier: We stay behind the Russian soldiers and force them to fight the Ukranians. If they want to run away we shoot at them and force them to go back fighting the Ukrainians. Russian soldier calling his wife. Soldier: I am in Boecha. I have two fur coats for you. Wife: Ooh, that's good. Where did you find them? Soldier: We shot a lot of civilians and I found the coats in a house that was abandoned. Father from wife: steal as much as you can. Russian soldier calling his wife. Soldier: We are raping women. Wife: You can rape as many women as you wish, but never tell me how many. And don't come back with some infection or disease. Russian soldier calling his wife. Wife: how are you? Soldier: Good. You should see these houses. They all have a lot of things that we can never buy in our entire life. These people are rich. The last conversation confirms that Russian soldiers are really the lowest of the lowest level of intelligence in Russia. They live in small prehistoric villages without roads, running water and toilets. Most of them joined the army to stay out of poverty. They are plain stupid and don't even realize how monstrous they are killing civilians and raping women and even children.
There was an article yesterday, in Reuters I think, or I read it yesterday anyway. The local governments in the new breakaway donbass area are of course are seizing men off the streets and forcing them to fight with the Russians. No news there. But the conscripts were complaining that they were sent into combat or firefights with no guns and had never handled a rifle before anyway. They said that the commanders made them just run around to draw fire so that the armed fighters could use them to determine the positions of the Ukrainians. Not the best job to have. Hope it pays well.
Bump both of these posts together because they so excellently hit the nail on the head. I’d like to add to this: The Chinese believe Putin is trying to create a “mini Soviet Union” and I tend to agree with that. There’s an economic component that is part of his expansion plan with the Russian economy retooled to be an energy supplier, the better industrial locations are to Russia’s west and trade is much closer to Europe proper. Make no mistake, Putin and the Russians love killing and raping but they are also greedy as hell and want what they cannot develop on their own.
Probably explains why output continues to drop even though sales are holding relatively ok. Soon its going to be a big deal.
Ohh, I see, you’re “woke” and I’m not. The Russians should just take whatever country they want and rape and murder whoever, wherever, whenever because you “follow the money” and I “can’t see through the fog.” GTFO.
Your answer is precisely what I would expect from someone blinded by it. Because I point to the fact that these wars are about money on both sides of the discussion, that immediately means I want Russia to be able to take whatever country they want and rape and murder whoever (just like your claim that all Russians like to rape and murder). You're a sheep, my friend. I'm sorry that's so painful but you're manipulated into your perspective and your umbrage, while noble in the case of the Ukraine, is strangely silent whenever any one of a dozen or so countries around the world in the last 10 years have experienced invasions and death, many at the hands of the United States. Whether for good or ill - for "freedom" or to "fight terrorists", these all benefit the military industrial complex and it is they who have voices in all levels of the government to encourage and prolong conflict in as many ways as possible. But what do I know, I'm just a Kremlin lover, right?
You are a Kremlin lover, we know this. What I am telling you is you are wrong and jaundiced and juvenile if you look at the big picture and make these whataboutism arguments it just helps the Russians because they are already the bad guys. Once you equal the bad guys to their victims then they are both bad guys now and that allows for the worst case scenario of murder and rape and all of that. There is no “both sides” in this matter and there can be no letting up.