1/ Elderly Russians are going to war with the explicit intention of getting killed so that their family get a 5 million ruble ($68,800) compensation payment. It's too much even for Russian warbloggers, who complain about how pointless this is. ⬇️
https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1941455975497728085
2/ Very elderly men – as old as 72 years – have been signing up, and dying, in disproportionate numbers. Not surprisingly, they do not make good soldiers, as the thread linked below discusses.
https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1941507865929543730
3/ 'Pioneer of the Reserve' writes:
"I want to talk about some sad but true things. Things that might affect people in the spotlight, but that's okay."
"I want to talk about some sad but true things. Things that might affect people in the spotlight, but that's okay."
4/ "This concerns the volunteers who are going now, and they all have different motivations, which I have also spoken about more than once.
There are real men who are going to fight with their heads and they know what they are going for.
There are real men who are going to fight with their heads and they know what they are going for.
5/ "But I want to talk about those who have nothing to lose, who are 50 years old and older, who have spent half their lives drinking alcohol or something else.
6/ "I and other comrades and commanders have talked to many of them, and they are asked: why are you going there, you are, roughly speaking, a burden, and you can't even walk 100 metres.
7/ "The answer is striking: they say it's to leave money for their families! Well, you understand the motive, right?
8/ "Is that good or bad? It's good that they think about their families, but it's bad that they don't understand that because of them, normal guys who are in the same assault group with them could die. Evacuation teams are dying trying to get the wounded out.
9/ "Combat grandfathers who can barely walk are dead weight and a burden that drags combat groups down; they often can't even make it to where they need to go.
10/ "But here, there are more questions not just for them, but for those who recruit them in the first place and assign them not just anywhere, but to the very front line of the assault! Why and for what purpose are you doing this?
11/ "To report that you have recruited enough volunteers? It would be better to take fewer, but better quality guys! It would be much more useful.
12/ "And this problem is not only about physical unpreparedness. It is also about psychological resilience, reaction speed, and learning ability. Old habits and established views are difficult to change, and in wartime this is critically important.
13/ "The time for retraining is limited, and every mistake can cost lives.
A dilemma arises: humanity and compassion versus efficiency and expediency. On the one hand, people cannot be denied the right to defend their country, even if they do not meet the criteria.
A dilemma arises: humanity and compassion versus efficiency and expediency. On the one hand, people cannot be denied the right to defend their country, even if they do not meet the criteria.
14/ "On the other hand, the ill-considered recruitment of incompetent fighters leads to unnecessary losses and reduces the combat effectiveness of units. Where is the line, and who should determine it?
15/ "The question remains open and requires serious analysis and a review of approaches to army recruitment."
16/ Alexey Sukonkin notes that the Wagner Group was wary of recruiting men over 40, and would recruit over-50s only in exceptional circumstances. He attributes the current indiscriminate recruitment to the Russian Ministry of Defence's arbitrary recruitment quotas:
17/ "In an effort to report to the president on the ‘established number’ of volunteers recruited, contracts are signed with anyone who expresses an intention to join the army.
18/ "People's motives are understandable; they are displayed on banners in every settlement of our vast homeland. But the quality of these recruits...
My personal opinion about the quality of these recruits is confirmed by the military itself.
My personal opinion about the quality of these recruits is confirmed by the military itself.
19/ "At training grounds during their training and at the front, I see a lot of older people, many of whom, in addition, have been actively friends with ethanol and other means of bringing themselves into an ‘altered state’ their entire lives.
20/ "I have personally witnessed situations where these volunteers, dressed in armour and equipment, could not take a step, let alone take action.
https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1935422819149693061
21/ "Their instructors try to teach them something, but to no avail; their age and background prevent them from retaining even the most basic knowledge.
22/ "The guys who train the volunteers, mostly veterans of the Special Military Operation, sometimes just give up when they see a complete unwillingness to learn the basics of military science, which could save the lives of these ‘recruits’...
23/ "And they are sent into battle. They are unable to orient themselves in the situation, incapable of doing anything useful for the purposes of the assault, and ultimately sacrifice their lives without any benefit.
24/ "And then the evacuation teams die trying to pull their bodies out...
I may be a little harsh, but forgive me, I've had enough. The concept of ‘100 recruits’ has long since ceased to be synonymous with ‘100 trained soldiers.’
I may be a little harsh, but forgive me, I've had enough. The concept of ‘100 recruits’ has long since ceased to be synonymous with ‘100 trained soldiers.’
25/ "During the mobilisation period, when the army was a cross-section of society, the percentage of competent fighters was much higher than what we have now. Something tells me that this trick needs to be repeated if we want a breakthrough in this strange war." /end
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