Morale is plummeting in Putin's private army as Russia's war in Ukraine falters

[brooklynite]

CNN

The Ukrainians’ bodies lay side-by-side on the grass, the earth beside them splayed open by a crater. Dragged to the spot by Russian mercenaries, the victims’ arms pointed to where they had died.

“Let’s plant a grenade on them,” a voice says in husky Russian, in what appears to be a plan to booby-trap the bodies.

“There is no need for a grenade, we will just bash them in,” another says of the Ukrainian soldiers who will come to collect the bodies. The mercenaries then realize they have run out of ammunition.

These events seen and heard on battlefield video, exclusive to CNN, along with access to Wagner recruits fighting in Ukraine, and candid, rare interviews CNN has conducted with a former Wagner commander now seeking asylum in Europe, combine to give an unprecedented look at the state of Russia’s premier mercenary force.

While problems of supply and morale, as well as allegations of war crimes have been well documented among regular Russian troops, the existence of similar crises among Wagner mercenaries, often described as President Vladimir Putin’s off-the-books shock troops, is a dire omen for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

[CentralMass]

1. There have been reports of dome horrendous atrocities.

Like bodies found tgst were tortured included having their genitals cut off. Chuldren be raped etc.

[Bayard]

2. I don't think it was that high to begin with

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Total combat losses of the enemy from Feb 24 to Oct 7:

Link to tweet

[marble falls]

4. What's going to happen to Russia when these guys get home?

[Victor_c3]

7. My guess is many most won't make it

When I was in college (1998-2002) I had a girlfriend who spent the first 18 years of her live living in Volgograd. She had many stories about some of her friends and acquaintances who had fought in Chechnya and returned all sorts of messed up. The Russian government simply doesn’t care and doesn’t provide any sort of healthcare or financial assistance to those disabled as a result of their service.

As a totally disabled veteran myself, I had absolute confidence that I was going to be taken care of if things went wrong when I was deployed and faced combat. With the exception of the some of the earlier months of my deployment in 2004 (where armor plating for HMMWVs was in short supply), we had more equipment thrown at us than we knew what to do with. Food was excellent, we had access to air conditioned living facilities most nights, and I never doubted that my chain of command cared about the lives of me and my men.

I couldn’t fathom being sent to a war as unprepared as these Russians are.

[DFW]

5. Oh, do I have a statement on HIM coming up!!

Ten days to two weeks, I hope....

Stay tuned.....

[Crowman2009]

6. Well they should either head back to Moscow and pop a cap in pooty poot or...

...go chew on a cyanide tablet.