- Russia is recruiting female convicts to boost its military forces, a Ukrainian intelligence spokesperson said.
- Moscow wants to recruit the convicts to auxiliary and combat roles, the Kyiv Post reported.
- More than 100,000 convicts from Russian penal colonies have reportedly been conscripted to fight in Ukraine.
There is that of course, but I don’t want to discount Ukraine here. From 2014 to 2022, everyone, including the West and Ukraine has meekly resigned not to escalate to open warfare after the start of the invasion. In 2022, during the first 3 days, Putin expected Kyiv to fall in three days, and so did the whole world. But it didn’t. It’s the kind of shit that will have Zelenskyy streets named after him around the world, while Putin will have as much share in the public consciousness as any of the Mongolian khans whose names historians quote as fun trivia, but not much else.
At this point, Russians are cursing the name of Gorbachev for the fall of the USSR, but in 50 years, they will be cursing the name of Putin for the fall of Russia.
I hope you are right and that they go so far out hating Putin that they’ll never allow another repeat…
I don’t see them hating Putin for the same reasons you, or I would. They would hate Putin because he lost.
I hope I am right and you are wrong… but as I type this reply, my conviction has almost entirely dissipated :-(
At least we share in where our hopes lie, friend