grandstand. After two months of conflict, the Russian army is showing its worst face in Ukraine: tactical failures, exposure of massacres such as those in Boutcha and Borodianka near Kyiv, and allegations of wartime rape follow one another. Can we be surprised? The Russian army has mainly been in Chechnya [1999-2000], an image marked by violence. Internally, the same is true: mistreatment causes conscripts to fear military service, despite their patriotism. However, these make up a large part of the troops.
This ambivalence towards the army calls into question the deployment of 134,500 men announced by Moscow [le 31 mars]. The Kremlin announced that no conscripts would join the “special operation,” but nothing precludes some from being encouraged or even pressured to sign a commitment treaty quickly. Anyone who refuses to sign is seen as a coward or a traitor in the eyes of their comrades, especially since war is raging in Ukraine and the Russian army, which is suffering losses, urgently needs new soldiers. Even if their operational skills aren’t there.
Also read: War in Ukraine: “In the past, Russian forces have shown a propensity to make up for the lack of men with more violence”
The Russian military operation suffered from tactical inconsistencies and massive logistical shortcomings. The supply of fuel and essential supplies is compromised, forcing soldiers to face the cold and sometimes hunger. At that time, many witnesses reported desertions that showed abandoned tanks. While difficult to quantify precisely, these behaviors demonstrate the lack of morale in the Russian military, which is unprepared for a high-intensity war. According to several captured Russian soldiers, many of them thought they were participating in simple drills. Also, many of these men were very young and obviously unprepared for such a conflict. The Ukrainians are defending themselves with great fighting spirit and have gained war experience after eight years of conflict in Donbass. They fight for the survival of their state.
Sensitive topic
Despite the “fortress under siege” rhetoric traditionally used in Russia to stoke patriotism by glorifying military heroism, conscription remains a thorny issue. Spring and fall conscription is a fearful time for families and young people aged 18-27, as abuses in the Russian army have shaped people’s consciousness. Since the end of the 1990s, the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers, which can hardly be heard today, has been reporting on the physical and psychological acts of violence suffered by the soldiers, the deprivations, including food and medical care. There are also many avoidance strategies, including but not limited to college resumption, medical clearances, last-minute marriages to single mothers, and corruption for those who can afford it. After all, the number of searches made on yandex.ru, a popular Internet search engine in Russia, related to the postponement of conscription testifies to this desire to avoid it.
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