It's also important to figure in the mass exodus of Russians fleeing conscription. Losing so many young Russians is going to make for rough times in the future.

"Though there are no official figures from Russia on how many citizens left, research by Prague Process, an organization focused on migration research and process, estimated that 700,000 to 1.2 million Russians left in the first year of the conflict.

In a recent report on the impact of this exodus on Russia’s workforce, Russian researcher and economist Vladislav Inozemtsev arrived at a similar figure, saying at least 1.3 million Russians have left."

[–] [email protected] 22 points 8 months ago (1 children)

So you're a skilled worker, or have the potential to be one or just have the cash to leave. What's your choice?

Die in a useless war
Live happily in the west

So what's your choice?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not even the West. Anecdotally there are tons of Russians hanging out in south east asia. Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand.

I've seen them pretty much everywhere we've been on vacation the last 2 years. Noticeably more than years before the war.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

My US employer acquired a Russian one from Leningrad (HOI4 brain rot. i forget the modern name) not long after the war started. The employees were told they could not stay there to stay employed.

Most went to Portugal. Others went to Finland, Turkey, Georgia, and Bosnia.

A couple didn't leave...and didn't get laid off until last Christmas.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago

Outside of those who left, there's a far larger mass of those who got used to avoid anything government-connected, including me. The capital of trust in what gvmnt does is nearly erased. Even pro-war crowd is sceptical about the whole thing at this point. I hope it wouldn't last another year walking with these limp legs.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago (3 children)

350,000 young men wasted for a balding bastard's pride.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And then you add the Ukrainian military casualties, civilian casualties, damage to priceless cultural artifacts and sites, psychological trauma to generations of adults and children.

Rich farmland that is mined to oblivion that could have fed millions for centuries.

All that for what?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

@zabadoh @qarbone
Russia can not conquer and hold Ukraine. No one could. I believe that the real purpose behind the war, is to return political control over the Russian population to Stalinist levels, and to undermine Western democracies. Both are achievable and partly done.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This is bordering on the conspiratorial. The Russians believed they would defeat Ukraine very quickly. They never expected to be in this situation

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

@hanekam
They told the Russian population that they could defeat Ukraine very quickly.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Yeah, they thought they could at the onset because every officer in the Russian army routinely lies up the chain of command so they believed they had far more capability than they actually did.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

@qarbone @Five
Putin is just one member of the Kremlin elite who control Russia. The war was a collective decision.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Jesus fucking Christ

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The UK Ministry of Defence said the number of dead and wounded reflects Moscow's commitment to "attritional warfare".

Both Kyiv and Moscow shroud their causality counts in secrecy, due to the effects they can have on army morale, populations at home and how the war is perceived abroad.

Writing on X, the UK MoD said the mounting Russian casualties reflect Moscow's "commitment to mass and attritional warfare."

"Although costly in terms of human life, the resulting effect has increased the pressure on Ukraine's position across the frontline," it added.

In February, Russian forces captured the Ukrainian town of Adviivka - their biggest gain in many months - after one of the most intense battles of the war.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its troops advanced some 9 kilometres and would press forward after the deadly urban battle in the eastern Donetsk region.

The original article contains 363 words, the summary contains 141 words. Saved 61%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Russia has provided few official casualty figures.

The most recent data from the Defense Ministry, published in January 2023, pointed to just over 6,000 deaths.

6k? Only? After 2 years of war? I kind of find that hard to believe