Russian invasion of Ukraine

Same could be said of Hungary at the moment though.

Scholz got quite a bollocking on Deutsche Welle English youtube
Starts at 8:00
https://youtu.be/6F3tYNszltU

Yeah, it's been great having a large chunk of our financial resources funneled into a proxy war with Russia while being repeatedly told by our leadership that our country simply doesn't have the money for things we desperately need like Covid relief etc.

(nb4 someone twists my words into something isolationist/pro-imperialist/anti-Ukrainian)

Aye, very well said.

Edit: The comparison she eludes to between the effort and commitment needed for ww2 so soon after ww1 and the effort needed from the West to front up to the invasion of Ukraine so soon after covid is interesting. It is such a different time now, I don't really have the mental capacity to see how capitalist globalisation has caused this individualist/isolationist lack of empathy, but i know it fucking has.

What is the covid situation in Russia?
Some say their home grown Sputnik vax is not so good. Is their healthcare is as bad as their military?

Two British volunteers (not sure if paid or not) captured whilst fighting against Russia in Ukraine have been sentenced to death:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/09/britons-sentenced-to-death-russian-occupied-ukraine-aiden-aslin-shaun-pinner

Putin comparing himself to Peter the Great is so fucking cringeworthy. We all knew that's what he was after all along, but the adult thing would have been to wait until someone else made the remark.

But this also gets my hopes up again regarding the possibility of a serious illness. I thought about it a lot during first couple of weeks, then my interest in that rumour kind of waned. This recent desperate attempt to guide his own legacy makes me think he could be pondering some bad news from his doctors.

Mediaeval.

How are we supposed to consider Russia anything but brutes when they do shit like this?

Russia uses a lot of actual mercenaries (soldiers working primarily for pay) they must be relying on the fact Ukraine has abolished the death penalty.

I had to check this because of family background and klaxons going off. Are we talking British army?
Both my dad and my brother joined under 18, it’s still the case you can join up at 16. I pedantically checked. You can start your app at 15 3/4 and need parental consent under 18.

Which is nuts. Especially as at 16 my brother's rifle was as big as him. But that was a loooong time ago. And even I’m taller than the current standard issue rifle.

Procurement contracts will be put under much harsher scrutiny in terms of proving value and efficacy.

Hello Dominic Cummings.

Only 20 countries recruit 16 year olds. Isn't it great to be listed alongside Iran, Zimbabwe and North Korea.

Longer minimum term for minors too. After their first six months, minors are committed to remaining in the forces until turning 22.
Whereas an adult commits to serve for four years, a minor is committed for four years from his/her
18th birthday – up to six years in total.

But this is off thread.

I’ve just renewed mine and my son’s passports. Can I put the old ones in the same envelope to send them back at the same time or is that not allowed?

My Grandfather joined the RAF as a 14 year old apprentice but that was in 1922.

If you are 16 just done your GCSEs and are convinced you want to join the army what should you do, something completely unrelated at college for 2 years or join the army as an apprentice.

I'd like to know more about those signing up as 16 year olds. I bet they are predominantly from disadvantaged backgrounds which makes the army one of few options. If they join as an apprentice at 16 they should not be committed to serve until they are 22. Under the current system once they have served for 6 months they can't voluntarily leave earlier, even if they are still a minor.

I'm sure there are lots of 16 year olds for which joining the army was the best thing they ever did but there are others who change their mind, are still a minor and are stuck.

The Army should (but doesn’t) reflect society as a whole so yes those coming in at the lowest level tend to be from the less advantaged. Removing the option to join the army reduces chances of employment and training.
The Army has no interest in retaining or training soldiers who really really don’t want to be there and will let them go.
We have a highly trained and motivated professional army not Wellington’s scum of the earth flogged into battle.

I had to check this because of family background and klaxons going off.

I'm not sure I understand. I said that 22 years is technically the maximum length of service not minimum age.

1 Attachment

If you get up to Warrant Officer then take a late entry commission you can do up to 34 years.

Removing the option to join the army reduces chances of employment and training.

All 16 year olds should have the option of further training without committing to 6 years service.

The Army has no interest in retaining or training soldiers who really really don’t want to be there and will let them go.

Then they should change the contract and give minors the absolute right to leave.

Honestly we don’t have penal battalions driven forward by the NKVD when I interacted with Army apprentices in Harrogate they were all amazing keen young people.

Not sure how it worked but my friend "joined" the army at 16, not sure what the contractual obligation was but he went to an Army College to do his A-Levels, then they put him through Uni doing Civil Engineering and then in to Sandringham for Office training before an eventual couple of tours of Afghanistan. As teens we were all fairly jealous of him as he always had loads of money and his school holidays seems to be going to Canada, Norway, UK National parks doing adventurous stuff. Went to visit him once at uni and he was in a flat and all the flat mates were in the same boat. All his food, accommodation, uni fees etc. were covered.

.

Back on topic, this seems to give a good overview of how things are panning out in the Donbas and the challenges Ukraine are facing around lack of heavy weapons
https://twitter.com/GresselGustav/status/1534961612339171332

Good deal until you have to go kill people that other people decide should be killed.

Exactly this.