WSJ: Ukraine’s Front-Line Troops Are Getting Older: ‘Physically, I Can’t Handle This’

[SamSwimmer]

As casualties continue to mount for Ukrainians, the issues on its citizens stemming from this prolonged conflict do as well. An aging infantry. Stalled advances. Illegal enlistment practices. Bribes get younger, well to do men out of having to serve. Which in turn is adding to low morale. Good read if you have the time.

Excerpts from the Wall Street Journal:

“Physically, I can’t handle this,” Dubok (age 47) said of front-line combat. “I’m deeply disappointed that I’m no longer 20.”​

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A combination of corruption, exemptions and political caution has protected much of Ukraine’s urban middle class against having to fight in the cold and muddy trenches. On the long front line, a disproportionate share of draftees are middle-aged men like Dubok. Often they are from villages and small towns and were too poor to buy their way out.​

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“The quality of the replacements is not good. They’re rural guys aged 43 to 50, sometimes with health problems,” said an experienced infantryman fighting near Avdiivka.​

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Tired fighters note bitterly that when they go on leave in big cities such as Kyiv or Dnipro, they see able-bodied men in their 20s and 30s frequenting gyms, bars and hip restaurants.​

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“Sad news from the front is discouraging citizens from joining,” said Dobro, the drone operator. Ukrainian army commanders who use costly Soviet-style tactics of frontal assaults are adding to people’s fear of being drafted, he said. “Now people realize that if you want to live to see the end of the war, you shouldn’t go to the infantry.”​

Zelenskyy said in an interview recently he didn't know a timeline of when this conflict would be settled. But that it could continue for years. How many more billions spent & tens of thousands of dead Ukrainians will it take for Biden to come to his senses?

 

[SamSwimmer]

Bloomberg Reporting Sanctions On Russia Not Having Desired Effect

 

[i am herdman]

Think of the Ukriane war now as a modern WW1. Stalled front lines. Defensive positions.. but if you move in mass or use elelectronics you die. The Russians have built a formidable defensive position and lines. The Ukrianians get chewed up trying to advance. Same in reverse. You move a bit and then move back a bit. The electronics are so good if you use your comes you get zapped. You move in a platoon or even squad size you get zapped.

Basically a Stalemate at this point.

 

[GeauxHerd]

Maybe Greed can go help the fight since they using old soldiers

 

[i am herdman]

Maybe Greed can go help the fight since they using old soldiers

The Ukrainians would rather put up with the Russians.

 

[alphasig1053]

Another crazy law in Ukraine says that men between the ages of 18-20 can't see Frontline action and the draft starts at the age of 27.

 

[i am herdman]

Another crazy law in Ukraine says that men between the ages of 18-20 can't see Frontline action and the draft starts at the age of 27.

Kill the older people first. They are running out of a generation of people.

 

[SamSwimmer]

Kill the older people first. They are running out of a generation of people.

That's how it's being viewed. That WSJ article points out that younger Ukrainians are paying bribes to avoid service & the ones serving (forced or otherwise) are growing resentful.

 

[30CAT]

Maybe Greed can go help the fight since they using old soldiers

He would "wrestle" the trannys.

 

[SamSwimmer]

According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Russia is actually seeing benefits to a prolonged war with Ukraine:

The Kremlin isn’t just gearing up for a prolonged war in Ukraine, but apparently sees certain economic benefits from such a scenario. Unlike oil, guns drive industrial growth: economic growth reached 4.9 percent in July. Industries directly related to the war have seen spectacular growth: production of transport is up 66.7 percent from last year, computers and electronics are up 42.6 percent, navigation devices 72.4 percent, electrical equipment 29.5 percent, and protective clothing 40.4 percent. Industries indirectly linked to the fighting are also experiencing abnormally high growth rates: equipment repair and installation is up 8.5 percent, while the food industry saw 11.3 percent growth.​

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Defense production is operating at full capacity, and most civilian sector industries have returned to their pre-war production levels. As a result, Russia has a record low unemployment rate of just 3 percent.​

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So, just keep adding to the body count of tens of thousands of dead Ukrainians, which actually forced Russia to strengthen ties to our adversaries, while shifting their economy to a war footing. Biden really is the guy who tries to get his dick out of a hornet's nest by shoving his balls in too.

 

[SamSwimmer]