this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2023
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No fan of Russian occupation but I doubt dude volunteered. Probably was conscripted.
Conscripted = Defend your country. Not attack another country. Russia just pretends they're "defending motherland" so they find an excuse to """"conscript (untrained) Russians"""" to go to war and they advertise "it's good money" literally everywhere. There are posters everywhere about it and so much propaganda and pro-war ads.
In any case, there is ALWAYS a choice. Even killing your own commander, or protesting against your government is a choice. So many Russians have literally abandoned their positions because they do not believe in this war. That was a choice. You always have a choice. Especially them, so many of them. Yes, difficult ones, but let's not pretend that they "do not have a choice". They do, they always did.
You always have a choice, than go to a war where you win nothing but kill innocent Ukrainians, committing war crimes and invading other country "to defend yours" which is their propaganda prorogative.
edit:
You know who "doesn't have a choice"? Ukrainians. They are there to defend their land. And the funny thing is, they do have a choice. They could just say "fuck it I won't do it". But they still stand. Even they, have a choice. And they chose to defend their land.
So let's not pretent that Russians, got conscripted thus they didn't have a choice. Everybody has a choice, and they have to live with it and die with it.
These conscripts if they try to surrender, can and have been executed by professional soldiers on the back line. Also they risk getting killed anyway trying to surrender to Ukrainian troops. It's not as simple as you make it seem.
Are you already trying to go full "Clean Wehrmacht" on the Russian army when they are still pillaging and raping everything on their path?
"These conscripts get killed if they try to surrender" what a stupid excuse.
So lets go commit war crimes. Yes? Kill innocent people, rape people, throw missiles on innocent people. Yes? That's the way!
A good Russian soldier is either surrendered or dead.
Or in the freedom of Russia legion fighting for Ukraine.
Even those are very iffy. They are probably going to be an issue after the war.
I simultaneously hope not, but think you're right.
Sure, there's always a choice. But also, not really, when you are blasted with propaganda. I'm sure some of these people think they've chosen rightly, and that they're liberating Ukraine from neo-nazis (or whatever the line is over there).
Easy for you to say "well, they can just CHOOSE their way out of it." Well, I don't really think it's that simple. Even if the people in Russia have distrust for their own state, which they should, I'd bet they have a healthy distrust in western media, as well. After all, we're pretty antagonistic toward Russia. I could see how their state media could spin and skew our actions and words as even more antagonistic than they already are. I mean, hell, they think the west helped engineer the revolution in Ukraine in 2014 (certainly the US ambassador and assistant secretary of state did), so why would they listen to us at all?
Just to back myself up, here's an article of a leaked call where the US diplomats discuss which individuals they want to end up in power positions during the 2014 protests
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26079957.amp
@jwiggler @exapsy
As pessoas minimamente inteligentes quando tem duvidas procuram meios para se esclarecerem. Eles como não lhes está a acontecer nada nem querem saber. Ocidente não está só a dar armas à Ucrânia está a impedi la de se defender atacando a Russia e por isso a promover um massacre
I'm not sure what you mean by the West preventing Ukraine from protecting itself by attacking Russia, but that might be because of translation.
I think I agree overall with your assessment -- US does not want this war to end. It's too profitable both politically ("democrats are tough on Russia!") and fiscally
That's what the surrender hotline is for.
The man is free to walk west with a white flag, he chose every single to day to help kill Ukrainians defending their homes. I'll spend my sympathy for the Russians killed while resisting Putin's war of conquest, not for the Russians actively contributing to it.