Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of another 133,000 soldiers to aid his war in Ukraine.
The 18-to-30 year olds will be called up between tomorrow and December 31, but parents have raised fear that the untrained conscripts will be thrust straight into ‘hot’ border regions close to the war zone.
The figure is higher than the same draft last year when Putin recruited 130,000, and in spring when he drafted another 150,000.
The Russian regime is facing an increasing backlash over use of conscripts close to the war zone in defiance of an earlier Putin promise to parents that he would not put recruits in harm’s way.
Unfortunately a large portion of the population supports the war and putin. Just look at the level of support just from russians living abroad. It’s most of their population that is all on board.
Russia was never not a propaganda and fear controlled dictatorship, they only changed the paint job from time to time. It’s almost impressive or at least very difficult for one to free themselves from that and open their mind when they, their parents and their parents and so on grew up like that.
I’m not saying it’s not their fault I just think there’s nuance to that.
I’d give them a pass pre-internet, but today? In the age were everything is connected, and russia wasn’t like NK which controls everything their citizens see, they have access to the Internet. Which at bare minimum gives them some views outside of the propaganda, they shouldn’t be this supportive of this war.