• remotelove@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I have had conversations with Russians, mainly on Reddit, that simply disregard these videos. Many times, they believe that videos are either staged or just copied Russian videos with the watermarks changed. More often than not, everything is seen as blatant propaganda and not true.

      If troops do revolt, there are rumors of “re-education” camps that they are sent to or, they are promptly sent to the front lines to die in another meat wave attack.

      Information is limited for the average foot soldier and what they know is what they are told over and over: Russia is the victim, they are the ones being attacked by Nazis and NATO and it is their duty to “protect” Russia. (Some Pro-Russian bloggers are simply using the word “Germans” to refer to Ukrainians now. Its important that Russians are framed as victims at all times.)

      So, I am sure there are some efforts to resist but it’s hard to organize a revolt when you are just going to die in a hail of artillery fire in a day or two.

      • BB69@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Regardless of the limited information, they have to know the meat grinder is happening.

        • remotelove@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          Without a doubt. However, and take this with a grain of salt, Russian troops simply may not know where they are being sent. There are accounts from soldiers that they believed they were being sent to training when in reality, they were dumped on the front lines with no warning. They are told to attack, or get shot by their own troops if they try to retreat. Regardless, their chances of survival are extremely low.

          Also, If you hold a newly recruited soldier in relative isolation for a bit, ship them around a few times to different places and keep telling them lies about what is happening, it’s fairly easy just to dump them into a war zone the next day with little warning without much resistance.

          This probably only scratches the surface of what is actually going on and I personally haven’t been there to see this with my own eyes.

          However, your question still remains: Why haven’t they revolted? Ignoring any second hand accounts or my speculation, simple explanations are that they simply do not know the truth and scope of the situation, are being persuaded or forced, they don’t know where they are, or, they actually want to be there. You can believe what you choose to believe.

  • JokerProof@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Do we have more information about their destination/position? I read somewhere they were heading toward the Kherson bridgehead, to repulse it. Any info on that?

    • Wilshire@lemmy.caOP
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      1 year ago

      The defeated battalion was located in the Zaporizhzhia direction of the front, in the area of the village of Ilchenkovo, and at the time of the attack was preparing for redeployment.