Labels

Forced at Gunpoint: Russia Forcing Civilians to Die in Ukraine

By gunpoint, Russia is forcing its poorest citizens to serve as cannon fodder in the illegal invasion of Ukraine
The Russian government is forcing its poorest citizens to die in Ukraine. 

The dictatorship occupying the Kremlin keeps sending troops to the Ukrainian meat grinder. There, these soldiers, many of whom are forced to serve, meet their imminent demise, one after the next. Things aren't getting any better for Russia either. On the heels of a huge 60 plus billion-dollar aid package from the United States, Ukraine is upping the ante in its quest to remain independent of its fascist neighbor. Just yesterday, Russia lost a record number of soldiers, as 1,740 men perished in 24 hours alone.

Message from the Avdiivkan Front 

Russia continues to send men to die for what is a lost cause. Putin, buying time until a possible Trump presidency, simply doesn't care about the record number of Russian men meeting death on Ukrainian soil. While his affluent family is safe and well cared for, death simply isn't a metric Putin is using to gage the failures or successes of his war. So, under his orders, the Russian government continues to rob children of their fathers and wives of their husbands, forcing men to die for an illegal and unnecessary invasion. Many of these men are of Russia's poorest, and most won't see any benefit or reward for serving. Neither will their families back home. 

Take the Russian army in Avdiivka, for example. They find themselves trapped in a hole, awaiting imminent death. A soldier recorded the following while anticipating fire from American Bradley IFVs, 

"That's how we fight. We have shit, and we're strong. Today, they're fucking all day, yesterday they were fucking all day. And there's nothing we can do about it, so fuck the fucking cannon fodder. We're getting all the fucking guns. It's called a retainer. There's 19 people out here today. That's our fucking roof. There's fucking zero left, and it's all fucked up."

The soldier points to a makeshift roof, their only protection as gunfire penetrates the Ukrainian forest they hide in. The roof is made simply of trees, branches, and limbs. It wouldn't even be adequate to protect the soldiers from rain, let alone gunfire or missiles. 

"And right now, the kids are driving, driving, fucking, fucking, and fucking. This is bullshit. It's the second day of fucking today, and we're already getting screwed over with the tapes. They've got their own fucking company and they don't give a fuck."

Another soldier chimes in, 

"I've fucked with the major three times. Three fucking times we've been busted out of there with fucking tapes. All the motherfuckers we've been to, ten of them, fuck them. They're all scattered all over the fucking forest. There's no connection, there's no cock, there's nothing at all. Why are we being dragged here? There's fucking dead bodies all around. When we landed in the fuckin' zone, we had a fuckin' bonfire. With all our fuckin' stuff, we're fucking screwed. Fuck it, let's get out of here."

The soldier lambasts the Russian government for its limited provisions, 

"No shovels to shovel, no shovels to shovel, no shovels to shovel, no water to shovel, no cock to shovel. There's no water, there's dead bodies, you're going to eat shit. Not to eat, not to drink, not to fuck, not to shit. We ain't got shit." 

In an apocalyptic scene baring semblance to the biblical Book of Revelation, one soldier opened up about the massive number of Russian dead scattered and decaying throughout the barren Ukrainian forests, 

"If it weren't for the bombing, we'd be able to go out and get a picture of all the kids coming out. You walk in, they're laying down, laying down, laying down, laying down. It's all fucked up with dead bodies. Only Ukrainians fuck and fuck."

Then their inevitable deaths are openly discussed, 

"It's only a matter of time before the fucking weather comes down on Bradley, and he starts fucking around.....We got two fucking mortars and no fucking more."

And of their ending, 

"It's fucking easy. There's nothing left of the fucking woodlands."

'Mother Russia Will Never Forget Us!' 

Imminent death, the acknowledgement that they serve the Kremlin's purpose as cannon fodder, is a common message presented to Russian military men. Recently, a Russian commander attempted to motivate his troops before they were sent to the front lines in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, 

"All of you will die, but know one thing: Mother Russia will never forget us! Flowers will be brought to all of our headstones for centuries! Every warrior's name will be carved into memorial plaques! Eternal flames will be lit for all of us."

There's no hiding it anymore. Soldiers know they're meeting their end, and in return they get some flowers, a plaque, empty ceremonial gestures. Absent from such motivational speeches, are any promises of support for their families back home, no promises to take care of their soon-to-be widowed wives and fatherless children.

Just who are these men fighting for 'The Motherland?'  

Just who are the men Russia is sending to die in this quagmire? Many are civilians from poor areas, most of whom have no military experience. Many are dark-skinned immigrants, often shunned by Russian society. Right now, these are often the undesirables of Russian society, but that will change once they are all killed, and Putin deems more cannon fodder necessary. They aren't given the option to serve. Some are simply kidnapped at gunpoint, put on a bus in handcuffs, and sent to Ukraine to die. Inevitably, and unless something drastically changes, this will come to all of Russian society. 

23-year-old prisoner of war Kokhtov Konstantin Dmitriyevich recounts the following,

"I'm an orphan. My dad's dead, my mom's been deprived of parental rights. I worked at a sawmill. I was offered to sign a contract, so I did.....I was supposed to get the president's payment, but I didn't. They said, 'You will, you will.' We have an honesty thing going on in Russia. But I never received this payment."

When asked what would happen if he had refused to sign his contract for enlistment, Dmitriyevich replied, 

"It would be a betrayal of the Motherland and execution by firing squad."

Russia's Great Failure

And for what purpose? Has Russia achieved its aims and objectives, after losing nearly half a million men? Not even close. Ukrainian-American professor at Case Western Reserve University, Roman Sheremeta, expounds on Russia's failures, 

"They say 'Russia is making gains in Ukraine. But are they, really? When looking at data....Russia has conquered about 400km2 of territory in 1 year. That's 0.075% of Ukraine. At this rate, it would take another 1,200 years for Russia to conquer all Ukraine." 


Limiting Russia's gains has been a major goal for the Biden administration and thus far, that mission has been accomplished. Russia's advancements have been slowed, but it's difficult to imagine that continuing under a pro-Russian Donald Trump administration. Trump's election in the United States may prove to be a moment of saving grace for the Russian government, as the 88-time indicted former president has plans to hand Ukraine to Russia. 

For now, the war is a wait and see game. Ukraine is doing its best to hold off Russian aggressors, as Russians keep dying in record numbers. Ukrainian resolve is impenetrable. Freedom is at stake, so is their homeland, and Ukrainians will fight to the death to protect what they value most. That fight will continue no matter the American political landscape, but how much longer will Russians tolerate their citizenry being sent to its death to fight in one man's unwinnable war? And all while the Putin family enjoys the lavish riches of an oil-baron mafioso. How long must Russia's poorest die in vain? Only time will tell. 

FURTHER READING: Donald Trump's Top-Secret Plan to Give Ukraine to Russia



Labels:
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts