This is insanity!

[JoanofArgh]

Link to tweet

?s=21


Russian lawmakers have introduced legislation that would conscript into the military anyone arrested for protesting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These people would be forced to fight in the invasion itself. What the fuck is happening to Russia. This is absolute madness




Why would the Russian military want them? They’d probably send them in there to be killed.

[Moostache]

1. Killing off dissent is the feature, not a bug (n/t)

[lapfog_1]

2. give a bunch of pissed off anti-war russians automatic weapons

what a great idea!!!

[CrackityJones75]

3. Whole new meaning to the phrase

Whole new meaning to the phrase “That could backfire.”

[lapfog_1]

9. vietnam saw the term "fragging" come into vogue

this could lead to a whole new level.

It's not like the rest of the troops there are doing great anyway.

Adding the dissidents in Russia could mean a lot of officers will need the use of those mobile crematoriums.

[BlueWavePsych]

50. Punny but true ...

[Deminpenn]

38. Truth

Nt

[Scrivener7]

4. It is insanity. This began irrational and it is getting more so. That is what is scary about it.

[kwolf68]

5. What next Russia

Writing laws that makes it legal to run your car through a group of protestors?

[malaise]

36. You mean like the governor of Florida? n/t

[kwolf68]

52. Haha

Yup. Seems we have some politicians in this nation with very similar traits to Putin.

[dchill]

6. Yes, it's definitely insanity.

And a completely desperate strategy at best.

[LakeArenal]

7. Conscripts will surrender. Call their moms and tell them where they are.

[obamanut2012]

28. No, they will be shot in the back

Punishment Battalions.

[58Sunliner]

8. Yep-full on vindictive psychopath. Put the dog down Russiam military.

[boston bean]

10. Seems like something the nazis of WW2 would have dreamt up.

[obamanut2012]

29. The Nazis and Soviets actually did just this

During WW2.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

32. Russia and Germany did during WWII. nt

[Wicked Blue]

11. Including old babushkas and little kids?

[SheltieLover]

33. Of course!

But the Babushka Brigade will educate the young conscripts!

[barbtries]

35. I wondered that

since I saw a story yesterday about 2 women and several children being detained for taking flowers to the Ukrainian Embassy.

[Javaman]

12. punishment battalions.

typical ruskie bullshit.

this aint' ww2 and those folks are more like to throw down their arms than fight.

[haele]

13. That's normal. Dissidents go to the gulag or the army if there's a war.

It's the old Soviet way.
Sending them to the army tended to get them killed quicker, as they'd either get shot by their commanders for not following the dangerously stupid orders they would be given because they were known dissidents, or they'd get shot by the enemy.

Haele

[newdayneeded]

14. Enabling act to follow?

I don't like the parallels this guy is following.

[Caliman73]

15. WTF is happening to Russia?

An authoritarian is conducting governance of an authoritarian state with a consistent history of authoritarianism.

Not sure why the author seems so surprised.

Russia was an absolute monarchy with serfdom, until it became a totalitarian police state under the Communist regime of Stalin, then after an extremely brief period of emerging democracy, it has been an authoritarian kleptocracy under a strongman.

It is disgusting, but not surprising.

[Biophilic]

16. It does seem like the Russians, or at least their government, are getting more and more

panicky. Do they really think this is going to help either domestically or internationally? Seriously, it's a bit scary that they can't seem to think 2 steps ahead to the ultimate outcomes of their actions.

[Tetrachloride]

17. Penal battalions were described by Stephen Coonts in his fiction book The Red Horseman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtrafbat

and here is a short quote from the book

…penal battalions— every division had one. Unarmed battalions of political prisoners…..

herded ahead of the tanks before every attack to step on land mines …


The Red Horseman, p. 265. probably a paperback edition
Stephen Coonts, author

[Mossfern]

18. Sounds like Tzarist Russia

where Jewish boys were conscripted into the army when they turned 13 years old and were sent to the front lines to die.

My grandfather (from Odessa) was sent away by his family when he was 12. He traveled alone until he got to Palestine, and from there to the United States.

[Victor_c3]

26. Sheesh, 12 years old!?!?!? I can't imagine

(I don’t mean to sound like I’m doubting your family history at all)

I look at my 13 year old daughter and try to imagine her in that situation. She’s just a child, as are all 13 year olds.

My great grandmother was married and pregnant when she was 14. I have a great great (great?) grandfather who was 13 when he joined the Alabama militia and fought in the civil war. He was captured and sent to a POW camp about an hour from where I currently live in Ohio.

[Mossfern]

53. Kids grew up much sooner at the turn of the century

I'd assume that he was given contacts along the way. I know that he picked up jobs as he traveled. Either that or die

[underpants]

19. 2021 - Activists in Russia say military conscription is a weapon for silencing dissent

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210503-activists-in-russia-say-military-conscription-is-a-weapon-for-silencing-dissent

In December 2019, police officers came to Ruslan Shaveddinov's Moscow apartment, sawed through the door and placed him in handcuffs before whisking him away for forced military service in the Arctic.

While military service is mandatory in Russia, with more than 250,000 men between the ages of 18 and 27 conscripted each year, many Russians get out of it through medical or educational exemptions. Some also simply ignore the summons or pay bribes.

The opposition and rights activists say conscription in recent years has become another weapon in the authorities' arsenal in their drive to silence dissent.

[Nevilledog]

20. Looks like their minority party is Republican

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Kevin Rothrock
@KevinRothrock
A note of caution here: The draft legislation about conscripting anti-war protesters was introduced by minority party deputies. Informed people say this is a scare tactic by the authorities that’s unlikely to pass. I, for one, would be scared.

фарида против войны
@faridaily_
РЕБЯТА законопроект про призыв на войну тех, что ходил на антивоенные митинги, внесен ЛДПР. Госдума очень-очень-очень редко принимает законы, внесенные другими партиями, кроме ЕР. так что скорее всего это пугалка, чтобы люди не протестовали против войны, но ее не примут
7:52 AM · Mar 3, 2022

[dalton99a]

21. "To give them an opportunity to redeem by blood their crimes against the Motherland"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_No._227

[JustAnotherGen]

22. What could possibly go wrong?

[LW1977]

23. Running them over with a car isn't good enough?

[Journeyman]

24. "You plan the wars, oh you masters of men. Plan the wars, and point the way, but we . . .

we will point the gun!"

~Dalton Trumbo, Johnny Got His Gun

[Victor_c3]

25. I'm sure that's going to turn out well

Sure, send a bunch of people who are conscientious objectors to the front lines. I’m sure that’ll work well

[obamanut2012]

27. Go to wikipedia and look up Punishment Battalions

JFC.

[Ptah]

30. Latest hit on Russian radio?

[gab13by13]

31. It's what Republicans want here;

we cannot fall for their about face on Putin and Russia. The Party of Putin is anti-democracy.

[SheltieLover]

34. So, the anti-war protesters sent to Ukraine

Can surrender & take advantage of Ukraine & the international IT community's offer of $47k & assylum.

[smirkymonkey]

37. Gee, somebody really thought this through.

[jaxexpat]

39. "Why would the Russian military want them? They'd probably send them in there to be killed." you ask

Is old Russian tactic. Works every time, enemy never expects it. In Russia, we learn from Mongols. Mongols kill all serfs and then they leave. Russia is boring without serfs. Germans like boring, they kill serfs, they suffer in winter. Germans forgot to leave after killing serfs. Russia will aldways persevere because we respect misery. The west has not so much misery. We pity them.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

40. Kind of stupid. Translate for the lawmakers the word "fragging". . . . nt

[ChazInAz]

41. It was considered here.

During the Nixon/Agnew regime, the Hawks thought it would be a good idea to round up anti-war protestors and ship them off to 'Nam.

[SunSeeker]

42. This will further depress low Russian military morale.

Treating military service like punishment for breaking the law doesn't say much for the value of the soldiers.

[Stuart G]

47. "The Russian Military".. is the only organization that has the ability to stop Putin.

[AlexSFCA]

43. Translation - this means they will kill them once conscripted

with cause of death - killed by Ukrainian army.

[BootinUp]

44. This threat will not work.

All this will do is stir the pot of rebellion, imho.

[3825-87867]

45. Most won't be active soldiers.

Those with half a brain will see labor details and NEVER touch a firearm or be instructed in one - kitchen, garbage, digging, janitors other menial tasks etc.

Other will be fodder for the "front."

[AZLD4Candidate]

46. Do this and I smell a lot of fragging happening.

[Ford_Prefect]

48. One man's army is another man's Gulag.

[oldsoftie]

49. If sent to the front, they'd likely just walk to the other side.

[dlk]

51. A new Russian twist on the death penalty

Disgusting!

[Magoo48]

54. Sounds like their entire leadership is unraveling.

Putin’s crazier than a shit-house mouse.

[Jimvanhise]

55. THINGS ARE WORSE THAN THEY'LL ADMIT

Is no one in Russia volunteering to fight or are they running out of people to conscript? In Germany, at the end of WW2, the Government turned members of the Hitler Youth into soldiers because Germany was running out of able bodied men after the bloody fighting in the war. Children as young as 14 became soldiers. Some of this is portrayed in the recent film Land Of Mine where after the war the Norwegians used captured child soldiers to search the beaches for mines.