Russia's Army Recruits Are Increasingly Older, Less Capable Men – Vyorstka - The Moscow Times
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The Russian military is seeing an influx of older contract soldiers who are largely seen as detrimental to its war effort in Ukraine, the investigative news outlet Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing anonymous military and parliamentary sources.

The Russian military is seeing an influx of older contract soldiers who are largely seen as detrimental to its war effort in Ukraine, the investigative news outlet Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing anonymous military and parliamentary sources.

Volunteer fighters aged 45 and over now make up half of new recruits in Moscow, a senior Mayor’s Office source was cited as saying. The average age of recruits has risen from 40 at the start of the year to about 50, said another Moscow Mayor’s Office source.

“They’re all sick,” a Russian soldier fighting in Ukraine was quoted as saying of these troops. “Their legs hurt, their heads hurt, and they’re slow.”

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    35·
    25 days ago

    Maybe you should not be sending them to a meat grinder?

    Seems an obvious solution to running out of recruits is to just not get them killed. Maybe, by, like GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF UKRAINE.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.worldEnglish
      16·
      25 days ago

      They should keep sending them into a meat grinder.

      We need to give Ukraine such powerful weapons like drone swarms such that the abattoir is completely automated and 100% safe (for everyone but the livestock).

      A lesson must be taught, and the only language Russians can understand, if very slowly, is their own blood.

  • paddirn@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    25 days ago

    I’m 43 and with my lower back pain I can’t imagine going off to fight in a war like that. I’m exercising more now than I ever did, but I’m well past my prime and probably couldn’t do alot of the things that war would demand. I’d surrender at the first opportunity I could get to not get shot in the back.

    • SupraMario@lemmy.worldEnglish
      18·
      25 days ago

      Lower slipped disk old person here as well …you gotta try yoga, shit has helped me a ton.

      Also fuck putin, slava Ukraini

  • RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    14·
    25 days ago

    I’m not in that age bracket, but even some years younger I couldn’t imagine doing anything like that. I’ve been drafted at 18 and spent 10 months in the German army and it was okish at that age. I didn’t enjoy it, but meh. But now? I don’t want to get up to get a coffee. My legs hurt, my head hurts and I’m slow 😅

    Edit: oh and please Russians, start a revolution, get rid of your politicians and start anew. Last one has been a while and I don’t have the feeling you’re better off now than the last time. And get out of Ukraine.

  • twistypencil@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    25 days ago

    I’m starting to wonder if this is the strategy of the west. Russia has always been known for having huge numbers of ground troops. If they can be worn down over time, then the west will be able to flank, overthrow or whatever

    • paddirn@lemmy.worldEnglish
      18·
      25 days ago

      It’s apparently the strategy of both the West and China to wear Russia down and the Russians are either too stupid to realize it, or Putin feels he just doesn’t have a choice at this point. After this war, Russia is very likely to be a Chinese vassal state, which China will use to extract cheap resources (which they’re pretty much already doing now). Russia is throwing their future away on the fields of Ukraine over a strip of land, it’s so mind-numbingly stupid.

      • notabot@lemm.eeEnglish
        3·
        25 days ago

        Russia Putin is throwing their future away on the fields of Ukraine over a strip of land, it’s so mind-numbingly stupid evil.

        Let’s face it, it’s a countries leader(s) that decide to feed their population into a meat grinder, not the people themselves. At this point there may ne little the average Russian can do to stop the process, at least, without significant retribution from the same government.

    • RubberDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      25 days ago

      Flank, overthrow? Huh? Look there are bound to be some warmongers out there. But having friendly relations with your neighbors is good for everyone. And then there is the small issue of the nukes.

      So maybe as a type of declawing… But cross generational plan for regime change… No.

      The biggest fear (besides nuclear escalation) is probably the collapse of Russia. If that happens there is bound to be a power struggle and in the midst of that there are plenty of nukes that need to be secured.

      I tend to think Russia needs a good defeat on their borders to crush any military expansionist dreams for the long term.