Russia is sending mentally disabled soldiers to the front lines.
Video shows how incapacitated man lying in muddy ditch, stripped of uniform, "murmuring incoherently, clearly too mentally incapacitated to communicate or "move," — The Telegraph. 1/
Semyon Karmanov, 27, diagnosed in childhood with intellectual disability with significant behavioural disorders requiring care and treatment, classified as fit for military service and killed this autumn from head wound. 2/
Artyom Radaev, 22, disabled since childhood, sent to front by 4th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade and later found tied to tree as punishment for refusing to fight — mother hasn't heard from him since. 3/
Alexey Vachrushev, who spent life under psychiatric care at specialized school for developmental disabilities, was pressured by police into signing military contract despite being declared unfit — current whereabouts unknown. 4/
Oleg Volkov, 23, diagnosed with psychiatric disability as child, forced to sign military contract after stealing wine crate, then panicked on first day in Ukraine and hid in electrical transformer cabin where he was captured. 5/
Russian soldier from 88th Brigade in Chasiv Yar said newly mobilized recruits arrive and immediately, they are 200s [dead] — his unit suffered over 90% losses: "There were seventy, now there are six." 6/
Ukrainian official Anna: Russia will never run out of people, sacrificing one man per 10 metres advances them and puts pressure on us. It is an effective tactic in a society where there is no price to pay for sacrificing the poor. 7/
Ukraine's general staff estimates around 210,000 Russian casualties during summer offensive in Bakhmut region with only minimal territorial gains. 8X
Former CIA Director Petraeus: Ukraine plans to produce 7 million drones this year, compared to roughly 300,000 in the US. It’s at the forefront of modern warfare.
If you want to see the future of war, come to Ukraine — on both sides, innovation is moving fast.
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Petraeus: Ukraine’s innovation is extraordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it. The speed at which new drone capabilities are deployed is remarkable.
It has helped offset Russia’s advantages — five times more manpower and an economy 10–15 times larger.
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Petraeus: In Ukraine, those who design, build, and use drones are the same people, working fast.
The US system is far more cumbersome. Ukraine is creating tomorrow’s tech for today’s war. We need to transform much of our force.
Former CIA Director Petraeus: I said from the start Russia would not take Kyiv. Others predicted it would fall in 3–5 days. Kyiv is a vast city with brave defenders.
It would be extremely hard to break in — and Ukraine’s actions denied Russia the airfield north of the capital.1/
Petraeus: The Budapest Memorandum was a major failure.
Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from the US, Russia, and the UK and those guarantees weren’t upheld. This is Ukraine’s war for independence — a fight for its very survival.
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Petraeus: US sanctions are under Senate review.
If paired with the EU’s 19th package and continued military support, the pressure could be strong enough to push Putin toward a ceasefire by the end of the year.
Angela Stent, Former National Intel Officer: Every time Witkoff claims progress on Ukraine, the next day Putin or Lavrov restate the same demands — withdrawal from Donbas and “denazification”.
They also cite an “Anchorage formula” no US official confirms. It’s obfuscation. 1/
Stent: Russia's negotiations are entirely performative.
They follow Soviet and post-Soviet tactics: negotiate to create a process and wear people down. Putin wants to humor Trump to avoid more punitive actions from the US administration. 2X