Ukraine cries. Everyone is lying. UN expresses 'deep concerns'

[mart_r]

Putin's p martial mobilization is definitely not going according to plan.
That he appears to go easy on IT, financial and media experts speaks for itself - or rather, which domestic resources he doesn't care about.
We're going backwards...

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by mart_r

<snip>
That he appears to go easy on IT, financial and media experts speaks for itself - or rather, which domestic resources he doesn't care about.
<snip>

I thought Uncle Vlad had already persuaded those folks to travel and see the world.

Now it seems a lot of would-be conscripts are similarly persuaded.

Unfortunately, many have had to leave with very little in the way of worldly goods, to maintain the pretense their absence will be short.

Also unfortunately, it seems a lot of countries are not welcoming Russian "tourists."

[kriesel]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

Also unfortunately, it seems a lot of countries are not welcoming Russian "tourists."

Perhaps because such a flood could provide useful camouflage for positioning more members of the GRU. Or they're choosing to prioritize Ukrainian refugees, not Russian.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by kriesel

Perhaps because such a flood could provide useful camouflage for positioning more members of the GRU. Or they're choosing to prioritize Ukrainian refugees, not Russian.

Or they would prefer to keep Russian troublemakers making their trouble inside Russia.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by xilman

Or they would prefer to keep Russian troublemakers making their trouble inside Russia.

It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion in real time.

I don't pray. But I seriously /hope/ there is still some sanity in the Russian military hierarchy.

Going nuclear is a non-zero probability. What could possibly go wrong?

[mart_r]

Originally Posted by chalsall

It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion in real time.

I don't pray. But I seriously /hope/ there is still some sanity in the Russian military hierarchy.

Going nuclear is a non-zero probability. What could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts exactly.

I'll always remember driving home from work on Feb 24 with the song "Dancing with tears in my eyes" playing in my head. (It was actually about 5 PM.)
It's becoming increasingly painful to watch this all play out the way it does.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by mart_r

It's becoming increasingly painful to watch this all play out the way it does.

Imagine thinking within the context of those who are there.

[Batalov]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Imagine thinking within the context of those who are there.

Thinking in the context of those who march on to be drafted...

Originally Posted by https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43914/the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-56d222cbc80a9

'The night is fine,' the Walrus said.
Do you admire the view?

It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!'
The Carpenter said nothing but
Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf —
I've had to ask you twice!'

It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,
To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!'
The Carpenter said nothing but
The butter's spread too thick!'

I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,
You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none —
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one."

[EdH]

One of my favorite poems!

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by Batalov

Thinking in the context of those who march on to be drafted...

Thank you for posting that link! I have, from time to time, tried to memorize that poem. I have a goodly portion of it solid, but not all yet. Having a handy link in addition to a copy of Through the Looking-Glass can't hurt.

Russia is officially worried about their would-be human sacrifices to Vlad the Insane cannon fodder avoiding military service, being unwilling to fight, deserting, or voluntarily surrendering. New laws are being enacted to increase the penalty for such offenses from seven years in prison to ten years in prison.

I seriously doubt that prison time would prove to be an effective deterrent. Complying with the call-up order entails a serious risk not just of dying in battle, but of dying unacknowledged by their own military and government, with their own family and friends never knowing what became of them.

There is an old remedy for reluctant, insubordinate, or mutinous soldiers: decimation. Kill one in ten, randomly selected, of the unit in question. If the unit has n members, let the number selected be floor(n/10) unless n is less than 10. If n is less than 10, select one. Repeat until morale improves or until everybody is dead, whichever comes first.

The number of iterations required to annihilate the unit will be on the order of log(n)/log(10/9). Numerical experimentation indicates that for large n, log(n)/log(10/9) - 7 is fairly close to the required number.

EDIT:

Russian military recruiter shot amid fear of Ukraine call-up

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A young man shot a Russian military officer at close range at an enlistment office Monday, an unusually bold attack reflecting resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to mobilize hundreds of thousands of more men to wage war on Ukraine.

The shooting comes after scattered arson attacks on enlistment offices and protests in Russian cities against the military call-up that have resulted in at least 2,000 arrests. Russia is seeking to bolster its military as its Ukraine offensive has bogged down.

In the attack in the Siberian city of Ust-Ilimsk, 25-year-old resident Ruslan Zinin walked into the enlistment office saying "no one will go to fight" and "we will all go home now," according to local media.

This reminds me of events in the good ol' USA about 50 years ago, when military recruitment centers were burglarized, vandalized, bombed and burned.

Originally Posted by Country Joe and the Fish

And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the pearly gates
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die

[Dr Sardonicus]

On September 26, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines suddenly developed huge leaks in at least 3 places, following what seismic data indicated were explosions similar to those produced by underwater mines or depth charges.

No gas was flowing in either pipeline, but they were full of gas under pressure.

In February, following a promise by President Biden to "end" Nord Stream 2, Germany stopped the project dead in its tracks by withholding official approval. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it "cannot go forward."

Germany subsequently followed up by setting a goal of replacing energy imported from Russia by other sources by mid-2024.

Russia subsequently shut off the flow of gas in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline "indefinitely."

Kremlin spokesmen Dmitry Peskov and Tucker Carlson managed to keep straight faces while blaming the US for the sabotage, cheerfully ignoring Germany's stopping the Nord Stream 2 project after Biden's statement in February.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Russians did it. Among the obvious possible reasons, they're looking forward to having a lot of gas and oil they can't sell, and/or customers wanting steep discounts, and possibly control of the infrastructure because Russia has shown itself to be an unreliable supplier. The "maintenance" excuse for keeping Nord Stream 1 closed has worn thin.

And the Europeans have basically told Russia that they are done with them as energy suppliers, so Russia isn't going to benefit all that much from the pipelines. So they're using "scorched earth tactics" on the high seas. Another possibility is that the Russians know they're not going to win this war, and are lashing out at those who have failed to meet their leader's delusional expectations.