this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2026
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[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

The honorable tradition of fragging officers and rebelling as cohesive units certainly needs to develop in Russian society. Its relative absence tells me that anarchist-minded people are abroad or hiding - none of them are in the army.

The army, as things look, is composed of 3 main demographic groups:

  • a minority of professional soldiers loyal to Putin's regime (they attack with actual equipment after meat waves have opened a gap in Ukrainian defenses, they also run the high-tech weapons)
  • simple and stupid blokes, often a bit enthusiastic about Putin's regime, bribed with money or tricked to enlist
  • detainees and convicts promised freedom if they join the war, foreigners tricked to enlist, Ukrainians seized from occupied areas

The latter two groups get used as cannon fodder. About 30 000 per month.

All the groups are slowly dwindling in numbers. Loyal goons are increasibly dead, a military career looks less glorious if you hear of everyone who died. Society is running out of the really gullible, and even the really poor often prefer life in poverty to a high probability of death without ever seeing anything different. As for convicts, word has sufficiently spread in prisons that coming back is unlikely, so they're volunteering less.

On this background, the possibility of a mobilization looms on horizon. But Putin fears giving weapons or ammo to randomly chosen people. They might rebel or his house of propaganda and cards might collapse.

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 hours ago

The army, as things look, is composed of 3 main demographic groups:

You're forgetting about Rosgvardia, which basically functions as a palace guard/commisar force. They exist only the keep the rest in line, not fight the war

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago

It’s hard to imagine how it could develop in such a ragtag, depoliticized, nihilistic society. Not to mention a lot of those soldiers are just mercenaries.

I think most of them don’t care at all about honour and are just hoping for a payday and to keep their head down until they can go home. Seems like such a dim hope!