<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/22/high-russian-death-toll-fails-shift-opinion-ukraine-war>
"Huddled in an undisclosed location near the frontlines, the two Russian
soldiers appeared desperate as they recorded what they feared might be their
final message.
Introducing themselves as Vyacheslav Trutnev and Dmitry Ostrovsky, from the
132nd Brigade of the 109th Regiment, the men recounted how they fled their
position in eastern Ukraine after their company commander ordered them to
advance at night through minefields to a new location, a move they called a
“suicide mission”.
“Three groups already went ahead and they aren’t responding. And we were the
fourth,” said one of the two, in a clip published on Russian social media.
“This mission was a one-way ticket. We laid down our weapons and retreated.”
The soldiers then proceeded to berate their commander for sending “the hungry
and freezing in droves to their deaths … Your insane orders are killing them.”
The clip offers a rare but telling glimpse into the nature of Moscow’s warfare,
which Russian soldiers have likened to being thrown into a meat grinder.
Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russia is believed to have suffered catastrophic
losses, reportedly losing up to 90% of the personnel it had at the onset of the
conflict.
September was a particularly deadly month for the Russian army, according to
US, British and other European officials, with an average of more than 1,000 of
its soldiers injured or killed each day.
UK military intelligence claims September was the deadliest month for the
Russian army since the start of the war in Ukraine. But crucially for Moscow,
the massive casualties have neither provoked significant public discontent
within Russian society nor discouraged potential new recruits."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
