A tangent: Putin is recruiting 200-400 per week, Ukraine is killing 5-6 times that

[Model35mech]

At least according to available reporting from Ukraine.

I remember Vietnam, hot humid days, stinking fish sauce that tasted OK (especially with beer), lots of protests back home...

And I remember the death toll being from 15-ish to 30-ish per day.

That casualty rate broke American support for the war, but it took about 10 years, and roughly 60000 dead.

Currently the Bing Aggregator regularly reports daily casualties for the RUssians over 1000 per DAY???

What the hell sort of suppression, or very different perspective on territorial aggression allows the Russian population to continue without revolting against the cost of the aggression in Ukraine?

I'm missing something important. I just don't get it

[Jose Garcia]

1. What about Ukraine?

They have a much smaller population so they are going to run out of fighting age men sooner.

[Model35mech]

3. Well, the arithematic works out similarly... Ukraine -IS- smaller but with 1/5th the causualties

and that is incorporating the embargo on support for Ukraine that lasted 2 months, from the beginning to the end of the Russian "Spring 24 Offensive"

Russia is now recruiting mercenaries from Africa. Ukraine is trying to conscript it's often elusive eligibles.

It's not at all clear that the country with the biggest population is the one that will prevail. People die in war, and training, equipment comparability, and morale are hugely important. But... I am NOT making any predictions.

[Torchlight]

5. If we're looking at one-to one losses. But I don't think that's the case.

If both Jane's and the Red Cross' numbers are close to the mark, we're looking at one Ukrainian casualty (killed, wounded, missing, captured) for 6.5 - 7 Russian casualties. My guess is Moscow's current spring offensive, which never really sprung, will create an even starker contrast in those numbers.

[Model35mech]

7. Ya, how does that go on without rebellion of families providing cannon fodder?

I've spent a few years in Russia, but I have to admit this sort of challenge to the tolerance of Russian people wasn't going on during that.

Every Russian I ever met loved family, loved relatives, loved the often shared assumptions surrounding their belief that their history
was on the correct side for mankind.

This must be very challenging for them.

[Javaman]

2. there is a great multi episode documentary on right now on Netflix.

It's called "turning point: the bomb and the Cold War".

I believe it's either episode 6 or 7 that will tell you everything you need/want to know as to what's happening in Ukraine.

[Model35mech]

4. Ah! I'll check that out. THanks.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. Putin has suffered massive losses and has degraded the Russian military machine

Link to tweet

[Model35mech]

8. Yes, I've seen pretty much the same numbers

[CanonRay]

9. I think nearly all the Russian people have little idea what is going on

All they get is state media telling them the Ukrainians are Nazis and Russia is a hair from winning.

[Model35mech]

10. During my time in NW Russia I experienced Scandinavian radio and International Short Wave

My Russian hosts woke me out of a sound sleep to get me connected with SW broadcasts about the hunt for Kennedy lost in an air-crash at sea.

And, btw, Russians were in love with Mexican Soap Operas on Russia's Channel 1.

[gab13by13]

11. I asked the same question,

Where are the Russian mothers?
If we look at the effect that Fox and others have had on Magats it is understandable to me that unwashed Russians have been subject to propaganda for a much longer time than Magats, propaganda works.

[Model35mech]

12. My experience with Russians (only a couple of years) is that they are propaganda savy

Russians are mostly much like us. They live in a somewhat more hostile environment when it comes to political opinion, but they've been adapting for decades and they pretty much have it well in-hand.

[JI7]

13. He is hoping for Trump to "win" the election

[former9thward]

14. In Vietnam did you believe the "body counts" of the supposed enemy kills everyday?

Not too many people believed the American military's public information releases. I think the same applies to the Ukrainian war.

[Model35mech]

15. From 1968 on, no I didn't. I understood that Gen Westmorland measured subordinants

on the axis of their kill charts.

Before 1968? Sorry I am not sure. It's a lot to ask someone to go back 50+ years and remember the death count of the enemy.

I DO remember the general pattern of deaths of US forces, my older brother did a 13 month tour and 3 month extension from late 68 to fall 69.

My father regularly beat me up when I called those deaths "pointless" to the progress of mankind.

[former9thward]

17. My only point is truth is the first causalty in war.

As the old saying goes.

Ukraine is desperate for men. There are hundreds of thousands of young men outside the country and they are not going back.

[Model35mech]

18. Russia is DESPERATE for men, they are recruiting in cental africa

Russian prisons can no longer supply the cannon fodder needed for mass infantry attacks.

Ukraine appears to not be actively recruiting soldiers from outside Ukraine

Which isn't to say a few volunteers have showed up in the ranks.

We may not be able to trust the media for the truth, but that doesn't mean the myths about a massive Russian population advantage, massive Russian economic advantage, and massive Russian quality advantage in weaponry is true.

Russia and Ukraine are, perhaps surprisingly, quite well matched. And Ukraine is, not by a landslide, rather better motivated as it looks down the path to extinction.

[haele]

16. It's in their history.

The Muskavoy Russians, from the 16th Century on, practiced a very fatalistic hierarchical society model. Your place in society was to serve the person above you in that society. No matter if you were a peasant, hunter or miner living.out in the boonies, an educated professional working in a lab or other complex, or general, you always deferred to the person above you, even if it would kill you. The country was your Mother, the Tzar (or Tzarina) was figuratively your Father. While your neutral "Mother" was in charge of providing your food and survival, your strong "Father" was in charge of providing your housing and your livelihood, and dispensed favors and punishment as he saw fit. And if "he" wasn't capable of keeping his position, another strong "Father" took his place. Keeping lesser people in dependant poverty is a way of keeping the leadership in place.
Russians are used to survival of the strongest and life being fairly cheap. They claim it's because they need to do so to survive the brutal weather and harsh environment, but other cultures have similar weather and environment, and are much more egalitarian and place value on individual survival.

Even the Soviets couldn't get past the Russian mentality.

Haele

[B.See]

19. To op: What you're missing is what happens to a nation

under the thumb of AUTHORITARIAN RULE.

1.Many are unaware,
2.Many are misinformed or believe what they are told to believe, and
3.MOST are afraid to speak out.

(Btw, two of those three should already sound familiar.)