this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2023
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One Russian soldier fighting near Avdiivka recently said his unit started their assault with 70 people—and lost 56 of them.

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[–] andrew_bidlaw 87 points 11 months ago (3 children)

As a russian guy, I'm still unconclusive what's the reason behind that. Unlike Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this one seems to happen over nothing. Just one aging man's sick ambitions that brought suffering to many families. I feel shame whenever I contact my ukrainian friends. For that fucking state used my representation to bring so much useless, senseless morbidity onto neighboring nation. It's 2023, why would we even want that? With all fucking problems we have as a humankind, why fighting Ukraine for 9+ years is even on the table? It doesn't make any sense. It's insanity. And I don't feel like I can ever compensate for that before I die. The damage we caused is too much for one's lifetime. It should've never happened.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

very well put. thanks.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm sorry and I hope you find peace. This guilt is not yours to hold, my friend.

[–] andrew_bidlaw 4 points 11 months ago

Thanks, friend. These simple words lit up my day.

I feel right to feel these guilt and pain though. I'm actually pleased to expirience them. Having them means there's something left to my humanity, something is still there, shining in my rotten corpse. The nerve response that is lacking in my many countrymen. A bell whose ring tells me I'm still human and I still have empathy. That signal isn't pretty, yet it's welcome in our trying times.

If I'm allowed to, I'd beg you to spend your sympathy towards me on my ukrainian homies. Years ago I had a gaming group that included persons from all ex-USSR. And I haven't heard from ukraininan dudes and gals in a while. Guess, they could've left our VK network altogether since this war happened, and it's right for them to do so because it's shit, but I'm still worried if they are alright, if they got caught in this conflict. If you are a faithful person, please put a candle on my behalf for their safety in your church or mosque of choice. If you aren't, just like me, well, you can listen to a story of Nestor Makhno, that one based ukrainian anarchist who kept the free state there for a while: https://youtu.be/dqD9VZuGBJw?si=sDs4sDYsMDX0fs4p He's an image to respect, and to replicate, and a great piece of our history that kremlin bitches want to erase. Just knowing it, you deny them easy win (:

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What's the consensus opinion that Russian people have about the war?

[–] andrew_bidlaw 9 points 11 months ago

With all arguments I had not ending up with me behind the bars lol, I guess everyone's tired. Even those psychoes who want to eradicate the whole ukrainian nation are sure that it drags for too long and talking heads are doing it wrong, that's not how the genocide should be done in their opinion 🤷

If there could've been a vote to conservate the current frontline, I guess 95% would be for it. But it's not how it works, because Russia already claimed 4 regions in it's constitution and putin can't walk that back easily (he can, but he won't, because it would ruin the remains of his strongman image), and Ukraine had an expirience of tolerating such thing with Minsky accords, them leading directly to '22 february attack.

I guess at that point no one actively wants to participate in this war anymore, besides maybe some vets joining PMC at their own terms. Even in pro-state (kek) telegram channels, there's too many uninspiring news, confusion and gore. There's also a lot of news of conscription offices being even more agressive in dragging people from universities, workplaces, streets, even gay bars - yes we had plenty in Moscow and S. Petersburg in spite of our homophobic laws. They are desperate to take anyone, to raid any place. Not yet deadly desperate, but it's sure out of their regular amount of effort.

I don't believe these people are ready to protest, even peacefully, but at the very least it occured to them they are better off dodging service than dying under Avdiivka. 2 years in, riiiight. Baby steps 👶 Wifes of servicemen just got declined from having a peaceful congregation about missing their men who ended up on limitless service 'until the end of the war' lol. Make it brew some more time and maybe it'd lead to something more radical. But yeah, many people know about that, and even if they were ignorant enough to sign in, they would now have doubts about joining that circus.