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Ukraine’s All-Robot Assault Force Just Won Its First Battle (www.forbes.com)

submitted 4 days ago by wherethereiswill to c/technology

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Reading the headline made me think of one thing:

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Gold

[–] [email protected] 105 points 4 days ago (5 children)

That Ukraine even needs so many unmanned weapons points to a deep manpower shortage.

Another possibility is that the Ukrainian government values it's manpower more than Russian government.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

Ukraine has no interest in putting even more of its population into Russia's meat grinder... because they will obviously lose a war of attrition.

[–] lemmylommy 42 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

That’s not exactly a high bar

[+] rottingleaf -16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

That would be a possibility if we didn't know exactly how bad is Ukraine with manpower right now, and that it's so bad in part due to their failed major offensives, done in exactly the Russian way.

They are, right now, pulling "replaceable" personnel from things like AD to infantry.

They are being overwhelmed. In that exact dirty wasteful way Westerners in the Interwebs are laughing about, because they are not going to be drafted to a frontline to show how it's done right.

Ukraine loses the war if no Western country commits its troops directly.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago

I think everyone is just hoping Russia runs out of money and political willingness to continue the war. Or if Putin dies (he seems fine, but he's no spring chicken), good chance that ends the war.

Ukraine never had a hope of winning the war conventionally. The real question is what will be left when it's over. Being the choke point for Russian military ambition is still a shit fucking deal.

I hope they get just as much help rebuilding after as they have gotten fighting our war. America, naturally, has a mixed record there. When someone is no longer useful to us, we tend to forget.

[–] rayyy 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You can bet western countries already have troops and advisors helping in Ukraine.

[+] rottingleaf -6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I was talking about mass. Cannon fodder. That thing Ukraine is running out of, and that Western countries are not supplying.

[–] IphtashuFitz 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Any army that treats their troops as “cannon fodder” deserves not only all the casualties they rack up, but the long term social, political, and economic hardship that is pretty much a guaranteed result of such a policy.

The constant rounding up & minimal training of “cannon fodder” is expensive both in the short and long term. Better to protect well trained resources and have them continue to gain experience by using more advanced weaponry that minimizes risk to them.

[+] BMTea -12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Only because they have fewer men. Have you seen the draft gangpress measures? People are being sent to be cannon fodder, under-equipped and underprepared.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Country	Democracy Index Score (2023)
Ukraine	5.06
Russia	2.22

The Ukrainian government requires much more support from it's population than the Russian government. Ukraine is a hybrid regime that was making progress towards joining the EU which has strict democracy requirements for entry. Russia is an authoritarian regime.

[+] BMTea -16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"Hybrid regime" is just a fancy name for oligarchy, and the argument that Ukrainian state cherishes the lives of its military aged men is a bit silly. Democratic states and authoritarian states are equally as capable of using human lives as currency when they view a war as existential. They weigh that against demographic and economic concerns. That's all.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

the argument that Ukrainian state cherishes the lives of its military aged men is a bit silly

Don't strawman, my argument is

Ukrainian government values it’s manpower more than Russian government

Do you have any evidence or arguments to counter my initial claim?

[+] BMTea -12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is how it went:

You said Ukraine values its manpower more than Russia.

I agreed with you, and added that it is because they have less manpower.

You then brought up some democracy index like that was relevant to the topic.

I inferred from this that you were explaining that you believe they value manpower more due to their hybrid regime versus Russia's authoritarian regime and disagreed with you on that cause.

You called my inferrence a "strawman" and then asked for evidence against your first claim, that I agreed with.

Please read more carefully.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I read your responses carefully. This is you apparently agreeing with me and adding that it's because they have less manpower.

Only because they have fewer men. Have you seen the draft gangpress measures? People are being sent to be cannon fodder, under-equipped and underprepared.

I bought up the democracy index to illustrate that the Ukrainian government requires support from the Ukrainian population more than the Russian government requires support from their population. The Ukrainian government does not value their manpower just because they have less of it, the Ukrainian government is also more accountable to their population (as they are not an authoritarian regime). That is why I brought up the democracy index as it is a quantifiable measure of government accountability to their populations.

[+] BMTea -7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

And I was disagreeing with you on that point, so I don't know why you challenged me on the very first point you made, which I agreed with.

I don't agree that the democracy index is really a quantifiable measure as it has several arbitrary criteria, but you could just assert that Ukraine is more democratic than Russia anyways, which is a matter of common sense.

Your argument that "democratic accountability" has something to do with it doesn't make any sense and doesn't follow. Ukraine has a draft. Drafts are drafts, there is no "democratic" objection to being drafted for war. Russia also drafts men as needed and the process looks quite similar sometimes, but in Ukraine it has become a severe social phenomenon.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Do you agree that the Ukrainian government is more accountable to it's population than the Russian government?

[–] BMTea -5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'd prefer you respond to my arguments instead of rehashing what's already been discussed. Or we could just stop here.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm attempting to align so that we can move our discussion forward. I'm just going to assume that you agree with the following statement.

The Ukrainian government is more accountable to it’s population than the Russian government.

Both democracies and authoritarian regimes have drafts. The difference is that democracies can not continue an unpopular draft because the government will be voted out.

The more accountable a government is to their population, the less that government can afford to enact unpopular policies.

You seem hung up on the fact that Ukraine has a draft. What's actually important is, does Ukraine have a draft that is supported by the population? If lots of drafted individuals become casualties then the Ukrainian government risks losing the support of the population and being replaced.

This is less of an issue for authoritarian regimes. That is my point and that is a major reason the Ukrainian government values it's manpower more than the Russian government, there are larger consequences for casualties.

[–] BMTea -4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You're asking questions we have answers to and you seem to have totally missed some key facts.

Ukraine is under martial law and has been since the invasion. There are no elections, they've been cancelled due to the needs of the state. There is no concern of the government being replaced.

Ukraine isn't a proper democracy but a "hybrid", e.g an oligarchy anyways. The popularity or unpopularity of policies doesn't translate into political outcomes so easily or transparently.

But your argument about authiritarian regimes is faulty. We just saw the complete opposite of that in Syria. Authoritarian regimes do not necessarily command loyalty and they also live in constant fear of popular unrest or dissatisfaction. In fact, there are many analysts who point to Putin's current domestic policy choices as desparate attempts to placate the Russians that have lost something due to the war.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Again, you're strawmaning. I never argued that Ukraine is a "proper democracy".

My argument is and continues to be that the Ukrainian government is more accountable to it’s population than the Russian government. Therefore the Ukrainian government must value the opinions of the Ukrainian population more than the Russian government values the opinions of the Russian population.

You're argument about Syria is a red herring fallacy. I never argued that authoritarian regimes are immune to their population's opinions. I've been arguing that the more authoritarian a government, the less accountable the government to their population.

At this point, I think you are either incapable of logical reasoning or arguing in bad faith.

[–] BMTea -2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

My argument is and continues to be that the Ukrainian government is more accountable to it’s population than the Russian government. Therefore the Ukrainian government must value the opinions of the Ukrainian population more than the Russian government values the opinions of the Russian population.

And I, once again, have explained why this doesn't matter because the draft has nothing to do with democratic input. You refuse to address this.

You're argument about Syria is a red herring fallacy.

Your*

And no it isn't.

I've been arguing that the more authoritarian a government, the less accountable the government to their population.

Do you know what MARTIAL LAW means? What the hell are you even talking about? Take a step back - you are arguing that Ukrainian draft officers are having to beat and kidnap men to send to the front line because Ukraine is more accountable to its people. I am arguing that it is necause they have a manpower shortage. You are ridiculous.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

If I take 13 ducks, 4 chickens, 8 fainting goats and a mongoose, and march them in a phalanx designed for geese you wind up 13 knots shy of where you were headed. The ducks vary in color, I'm not quite sure we even have mallards, 2 of the hens keep laying eggs and trying to roost, and the mongoose keeps setting off the bloody goats so they lay ass to the ground toes to the sky until they look like a botched taxidermy. So end over end we are all quacks laying and lying in the mud with a mongoose. Ain't getting far

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

These are more strawman tactics.

you are arguing that Ukrainian draft officers are having to beat and kidnap men to send to the front line because Ukraine is more accountable to its people

I'm not arguing this point.

I am arguing that it is necause they have a manpower shortage

I have never denied that Ukraine has a manpower shortage.

You are ridiculous

And then you call me ridiculous when I didn't make the first point and don't disagree with the second point. This is textbook strawmanning.

I don't think you're arguing in good faith using these tactics.

[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan 71 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

The part of me that has read a lot of sci-fi thinks this is super cool from a technological viewpoint.

The other part of me, which also reads sci-fi thinks thinks it's a scary sign of things to come from an ethical perspective.

All sides agree fuck Russia.

[–] rottingleaf 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

As someone from Russia - this was super cool 10 years ago, now this is just the obvious making its way to battlefields, and Middle-Eastern ones long before Ukraine.

Also it's good to be far enough from the events to talk about "scary things" only in the ethical context, but I'm going to disappoint you - warfare revolutions usually affect warfare geography too. You may see killer drones near you home in 20 years or so.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You may see killer drones near you home in 20 years or so.

Operated by your friendly local police force.

[–] rottingleaf 2 points 1 day ago

Or your friendly local militia movement. Or your friendly local "Christian state of Americas and the Pacific". ISIS has surely made a cultural imprint. The question is what will they use instead of nasheeds.

[–] SecretSauces 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Following Moore's Law, might end up being sooner than that

[–] rottingleaf 2 points 2 days ago

It's about adoption of available tools, not Moore's Law (which isn't a law anyway and there are physical limitations which have already kinda cancelled it). There are not technical limitations to have enormous functional combat drone fleets today. Humans are lagging behind, because humans need to learn how to conduct warfare with that.

[–] MITM0 3 points 2 days ago

Apparently not

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

1000021421

[–] dai 1 points 1 day ago

[–] yetiftw 27 points 3 days ago

oh just like how everyone got to test out their new weapons in the Spanish civil war

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

some peoples commentary suggest to me they think they are self directed robots. its really and all drone battle if anything. A lot of warefare has been this way for awhile. us does a lot of drones. I think the main thing with this conflict is the land and sea usage being used extensively.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 4 days ago

That Ukraine even needs so many unmanned weapons points to a deep manpower shortage.

In soviet Russia shortage manpowers you

(to get out of prison to join the meat grinder alongside your definitely not a sign of manpower shortage north Korean fap brigade)

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

Forbes' bias is showing. It was a proof of concept, not a sign of weakness.