Dystopian Russia preps its kids for loss of life

Russia is a bleak place, the place girls shrug at their sons and husbands heading to conflict as a result of he drinks an excessive amount of, there isn’t a job, he’ll die anyway, however then he’ll earn cash and the household may have advantages. A mixture of hopeless poverty and a corrupt, uncaring oligarchy have created a historic tradition of willful helplessness. Nothing will ever change, so why ought to anybody fear about it? And if the nation’s management ought to make them slaughter, nicely is there something extra Russian than countless struggling? 

It’s one factor, nonetheless, to ship grownup males to loss of life or dismemberment. However you’d assume Russians would, on the very least, shield their kids, proper? 

In In Search of the Free Particular person – The Historical past of the Russian-Soviet Soul, Belarusian Nobel Prize-winner Svetlana Alexievich wrote that “the Russian soul is an enigma. We lived collectively in a rustic the place we have been taught to die starting in childhood. We discovered loss of life and dying. We weren’t taught that people are born for happiness, or love. It was drilled into us that people exist in an effort to give of themselves, in an effort to burn, to sacrifice. We have been taught to like folks with weapons.”

This thread runs deep within the Russian media dialog. Right here’s one other one: 

Each of these guys are inside the vary of navy conscription. Bizarre how the propagandists are so glad to sentence others to loss of life, whereas they sit comfortably safe of their little bubbles. Think about the depravity of arguing that youthful folks ought to do the dying as a result of 1) Russian society is so fucked that everybody above the age of 40 is a non-functioning alcoholic, and a pair of) Russia can avoid wasting rubles in survivor advantages. 

Don’t look to the church for salvation from this bleak nihilism. Russian Orthodox priest Mikhail Vasilyev was requested on Russian TV whether or not he sympathized with moms who had misplaced their kids to the conflict. 

“The Lord allowed each woman to provide beginning to many kids,” stated the priest. “And if she (each woman), in accordance with him, will fulfill the commandment to be fruitful and multiply, then she may have many kids, which in flip will result in the truth that it’s going to turn into simpler for the mom to ship one in every of her many sons to the entrance. It looks as if one much less – yet one more.”

“Simply have extra infants, after which you’ll be able to sacrifice them to Putin’s conflict machine! What’s one much less?” Such wicked indifference to life and struggling is unfathomable to me, and it’s coming from the church! I’m a non-believer, but when I’m mistaken, this is able to be a good response from the Almighty: 

Hopefully, his mom had extra children, so, you understand, one much less. What does it matter? 

Yesterday I wrote in regards to the Battle of Pavlivka. At present, extra video of the battle is circulating. Keep in mind the Russian tank deserted within the heart of city, engine nonetheless operating? We even have drone video of the incident: 

It was truly hit by an anti-tank rocket, and whereas the tank wasn’t totally incapacitated, the crew bailed anyway. Probably a smart plan of action. You by no means know if the flames will attain the ammo storage bin, launching the turret into area. As an alternative, the flames put themselves out, and Ukraine now has (after some refurbishment) a comparatively fashionable T-80BVM for their very own use. 

Right here’s one other video from the battle: 

On this video, a squad of round 13 Russians, apparently underneath fireplace, take cowl in a home proper earlier than a single artillery shell ranges it. Underneath these brutal situations, it’s simple to think about Russia’s one hundred and fifty fifth Naval Infantry Brigade shedding the 300 killed, injured, and lacking troopers they reported over 4 days. And amazingly, they have been simply one in every of three items collaborating within the assault. General Russian casualties are prone to be two to a few instances that quantity, explaining elevated Russian KIA claims in current Ukrainian common workers stories. 

The debacle has spilled into the internecine combat between the Russian Ministry of Protection and Wagner’s mercenaries. The Russian MoD responded to the open letter from the one hundred and fifty fifth Naval Infantry Brigade by claiming the unit had solely misplaced 1% of its troops, Wagner’s Gray Zone Telegram channel posted this video in response with the straightforward caption, “Pavlovka—1%”

The video is a compilation of Russian losses through the assault. They’re … in depth. 

Take a look at yesterday’s replace for more information on this battle, and the way it’s reverberated round Russian Telegram. 

Click on right here to donate to assist these escaping Putin’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine.

In the end, the 2022 midterms are virtually right here! With the battle for the Home entrance and heart, we offer you a window into the important thing races on a last pre-election episode of The Downballot. We focus on a variety of contests that can provide perception into how the evening goes, together with prime GOP pickup alternatives, second-tier Republican targets, and the seats the place Democrats are on offense. And with many vote tallies prone to stretch on for a while, we additionally establish a number of bellwether races in states that depend rapidly.