Newly mobilised men return to Russia in coffins.

[speak easy]

‘My son has died’: Russia mourns loss of first drafted soldiers in Ukraine

Andrei Nikiforov, a lawyer from St Petersburg, was one of the hundreds of thousands of Russians mobilised since last month to hold the frontlines in his country’s faltering war in Ukraine.

On 25 September he received his call-up papers. By 7 October, just two weeks later, he was dead [near] Lysychansk, one of the most dangerous spots near the frontlines.

Family members of some men who died said they had been promised two months of training before they would be sent to the frontlines. According to BBC Russian, [draftees] have died, even before reaching the front, of causes including suicide, heart attacks, in fights and other mysterious ailments.

Meanwhile, Russian draft officers are becoming far more aggressive. The Observer has spoken with the relative of a man in Moscow who was detained on city streets and summarily served call-up papers. In another case, an IT worker complained that his exemption from the draft was ignored and that he wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to his wife and four-month-old daughter before being sent for basic training.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/15/my-son-has-died-russia-mourns-loss-of-first-drafted-soldiers-in-ukraine

[Ocelot II]

1. Sounds like they're resorting to press gangs like the old British Navy.

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

[Karadeniz]

11. That was my thought, too...

[Irish_Dem]

2. The Russian military uses brutal training methods.

So it is not surprising some of the men are dying before they are even deployed.

Rape, torture, beatings, all under the guise of "hazing" is the norm.

https://unherd.com/thepost/the-russian-armys-number-one-problem-hazing/

[2naSalit]

7. It's what barbarians do. ...nt

[Irish_Dem]

8. Yes. The fact that Russians are barbarians is now clearly evident.

[2naSalit]

9. It appears...

That they have never developed beyond it. My friends from eastern Europe, some who were there for WWII, have/had stories about the russians that would chill you for days. The bottom line for those folks was to never trust them, even for the time of day.

A friend and I have regular conversations about politics and cultures of the world and how they influence each other and we have several friends and relatives from other cultures, have concluded that russians are a problem hold-over from the times when barbaric takeovers were the norm.

What to do about it is a wide topic.

I think the countries from the two neighboring continents should decide what happens to that country. A country of 144 million people threatens the rest of the world. That needs to be addressed and really soon.

[Irish_Dem]

10. The world seems at a loss about how to handle Putin/Russia.

Putin is a ruthless, dangerous psychopath.

Like most serial killers, he will not stop until someone stops him.

And the Russian people support the barbaric behavior.

Despite sanctions, Putin continues to slaughter Ukrainian civilians and destroy infrastructure
as we stand by and watch.

Zelensky is a brilliant leader and now a world expert on dealing with Russia.
I wonder what ideas he has about dealing with Putin.

[Lovie777]

3. Putin's regime is about fear ......

seems like many in Russia are just afraid of countering Putin's rule especially when it is wrong and wrong for the country. What the Russian citizens do, if they can, exodus away from Russia to other countries, and even then, majority them still fear the retaliation of Putin and his brutal regime.

Personally I do not want to I've in a country like that. But alas, the RWers do.

[Irish_Dem]

4. The MAGA fantasy is that they will have complete freedom, but everyone else will face brutal control

The laws will protect MAGAs, but the laws will punish and control everyone else.

[keithbvadu2]

5. Those millions of republicans want an authoritarian gov't but they mistakenly think they will be the

Those millions of republicans want an authoritarian gov't but they mistakenly think they will be the few thousand elites actually in charge.

Those millions are useful tools for those who will actually be in charge.

One poster called it a 'new social feudalism age'.

[speak easy]

6. Authoritarian governments keep their 'elites' in line

by the fear that they too may be off to the gulags.

[Thunderbeast]

12. 120 years ago, the czar rounded up young men to fight in his wars

My grandfather voted with his feet...leaving Russia behind forever.

A few years later, the czar and his family were slaughtered in a rural basement.

Conscription has a steep price.