Take a close look at the picture above or here for more detail. What’s wrong with this picture of Russian conscripts being sent off to war in Ukraine? I’ll tell you. The two foremost guys in the picture look to be in their late 30s or early 40s, so they are entirely of fighting age and fitness. Then if you continue along the front row to behind the priest, you can just make out a really tall guy and the fella next to him. Again, they are probably in their 30s. But wait a second. I passed someone in the front row. I passed up grandpa for good reason because he’s more than just beyond fighting age; he is fat. Yet, he’s not the only one. Directly behind grandpa, but not fully pictured, appears to be another senior. Although you cannot see his whole face, you can make out the characteristic folds under the chin and near the ear/neck of an older man. What a motley crew to send to the frontlines to fight a losing war. No wonder Putin sees the nuclear card as the only option left to bring Ukraine and the West to the negotiating table.
I would be embarrassed if this were the sort of military stock I had to send into battle in the name of my country. And I certainly would not be authorizing circulating pictures like this to the world — what a joke. The only images of recruits should be young, tall, built, virile men. For a country that prides itself on mass propaganda, it can’t seem to get one good picture of fake Russian soldiers to project strength as if the military had its act together.
Moreover, as I have learned from retired generals on the MSM, these new recruits will not be a breath of fresh air and comfort for the already battle-battered soldiers on the frontlines. No! They will be liabilities. Look, this is how it works: Those soldiers who have been fighting for months in miserable conditions and losing are worn out and demoralized; they are not interested in welcoming newbies to the fight who don’t know sh*t about anything. In short, the seasoned soldiers do not see the uninitiated draftees as the relief they’ve been waiting for; instead, they are a burden for whom they must babysit, lest the new guys get everyone killed. Not to mention unit cohesion and synergy takes time to build, and it takes much longer when you have to replace 50 percent of a unit rather than a couple of men here or there. And the Russian military is really at 50 percent fighting strength. Nonetheless, I have no problem with Russia sending as many bullet catchers as they can to Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!