CW: combat, vulgarity
Purported to be UA vs RU soldiers taunting each other like it's XBox Live.
If this is real, it is more indication that RU soldiers were sent into battle without encrypted comms and are transmitting in the clear.
Note the relatively high morale of the UA soldiers, while the RU soldiers are complaining about not getting reinforcements.
It sounds authentic to me, but everything is suspect right now. Judge for yourself:
@formica I am inclined to believe it because even though they claim to spend a fortune on defense, everybody gets bribed up and down the line. They don't have any money left for good stuff. Everything got stolen. My kids have better airsoftvequipment than their conscripts.
@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine yeah. And the further you get from Moscow, the easier it is for new gear to disappear in transit and get sold off, since I'm sure salaries for the actual, professional soldiers haven't increased much, if at all, for a long time.
@formica did you see the Meduza article about mothers reporting their conscripted sons were being forced to sign contracts? And the horrendous conditions they were in while waiting on the border by Ukraine? Pictures shared by locals? Jeez
@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine I didn't see that one in specific; if you have a link please share it (I'll check your timeline as well). But I have been paying close attention to the stories about the experience of the conscripts - the bait-and-switch, the seizure of the phones, etc.
I was skeptical that many of those "180k" were combat-ready soldiers, and what we are witnessing with the conscripts bears that out. Like war isn't sad enough already.
@formica i dont like to link birbsite but this person has links to information on how bad it was for the conscripts waiting on the border of Belarus prior to the invasion. https://mobile.twitter.com/RALee85/status/1495654220288204800
With photos from locals.
Heard early on they were selling the convoys fuel for vodka and food.
Kind of explains a lot.
@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine thank you for this, and the Meduza article. This jives as well with what's been reported about Russian soldiers looting supermarkets and the like.
@formica
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/02/26/i-m-panicking-where-is-my-child
I hope it isn't beind a paywalls. And you can see it in English. 🤔
Meduza