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Russian Soldiers Say They Are Viewed With Disgust in Moscow. (www.kyivpost.com)

submitted 1 year ago by Tazmanian@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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According to two Russian soldiers interviewed by a pro-invasion blogger, if you wear a Russian military uniform on the metro in Moscow people distance themselves and give you dirty looks.

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[-] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 169 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Could be that civilians don't want to be near them because they are scared. Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine are committing all sorts of violent crimes.

I mean would YOU want to be within 20' feet of someone who has a high likelihood of being drunk, suffering from PTSD, and a member of an especially violent and brutal military force?

[-] Etterra@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago

Don't forget that they might be rapists and murderers.

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[-] be_excellent_to_each_other@kbin.social 153 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

“You go on the metro, and people stare at you because you wear a uniform. Again, I didn't go voluntarily, I received a summons and came to the military enlistment office.

At this point I had some sympathy.

I didn't run away or hide like you. I acted like a law-abiding citizen. But when I come on holiday, they point fingers at me,” the soldier said.

And then he lost my sympathy.

It's like certain problems we have in the US, just with different players.

When "law abiding" is placed before basic ethics, problems like these arise. It's also, sometimes (maybe not here) a smokescreen people use to justify their unethical behavior.

[-] Eheran@lemmy.world 68 points 1 year ago

People like to use things like "I didn't make the rules" to justify bullshit - while actively enforcing them.

[-] ickplant@lemmy.world 58 points 1 year ago

“I was just obeying orders” - sounds familiar.

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[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago

Yeah, draft dodging means maybe losing your freedom and the ability to provide for your children, which is a shit situation to be put in.

But the choice is between poverty and fucking murder. Your choice sucks, but you choose to be a monster. I spare my sympathy for those who choose to be not-murderers.

[-] Rolder@reddthat.com 23 points 1 year ago

But at the same time, they are absolutely being fed propaganda and don’t have an accurate view of what is going on in Ukraine.

[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

That is a valid point. I personally can't accept it changing the situation, but I won't hold it against anyone that do.

[-] uis@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I wanted to say they know how things are in reality, but suddenly remembered teacher in my school. Yep, some of them are completely brainwashed. Mostly those who will not be drafted. Either by being too old or having non-draftable sex(it would be funny if I'll get banned for this).

As Ekaterina Schulman says: this is unusual war. War is what Yong do, but this one is war of Old/Elders.

[-] First@programming.dev 5 points 1 year ago

I read an interview of locals from an Ukrainian village that got invaded - the Russians rolled in and asked the locals "where are the Nazis? Lead us to them!", and were surprised that the locals just asked them to leave, instead of cheering for their "liberation ".

So the propaganda certainly reached the military, at least.

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[-] ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

Draft dodging is probably worse in Russia.

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[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

I mean, I can have sympathy for any soldier that's being forced to be a soldier. But the reality is, that sympathy dries up pretty quickly when it comes out that while being a soldier they're rapists and war criminals. At certain point 'just following orders' is no longer a valid excuse... and you reach that point long before raping civilian women or PoWs. or... you know... you're own troops while in a combat situation....

[-] schroedingershat@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

If a fascist hands you a gun and tells you to murder a bunch of people so that he can get wealthier and more powerful, you shoot him and ask those people for asylum. Anything else makes you a fascist too.

[-] SCB@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Counterpoint: fuck going to a Russian prison.

[-] uis@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I think there is 1:1 model of Russian prison cell somewhere in Netherlands. At least the type of cell where Navalny is held.

On the other there are rumors about people who commited crimes only to be found guilty and not being drafted as result, but they are rumors.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 10 points 1 year ago

It's also not a defence. They don't have to follow orders.

They can just turn up get recruited and then surrender to Ukraine at the earliest safe opportunity if they want to. Plenty others have.

It is not patriotic to fight a unjust war, it is not patriotic to just do what you're told without thinking.

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[-] ladicius@lemmy.world 129 points 1 year ago

Killing and raping is frowned upon? Really?

[-] Diplomjodler@feddit.de 37 points 1 year ago

Nah, more like, look at that idiot who was too dumb to dodge the draft.

[-] IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I bet some people give dirty looks because they believe soldiers should die in the trenches protecting mother Russia and not ride the metro in Moscow with privileged Moscovites

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[-] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 61 points 1 year ago

The article below this is titled "Russian Soldier Proudly Admits to Killing POWs"

You know, entirely unrelated....

[-] xc2215x@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago

Russian people are changing their minds it seems.

[-] quantum_mechanic@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 year ago

Doesn't matter, they are powerless.

[-] severien@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

On average, you need just 3.5% of the population to actively oppose the regime to achieve a successful revolution. People can change things, but it looks like a vast majority of Russians are just fine with killing Ukrainians. More expensive iPhones are a bigger issue.

[-] ruckblack@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

I don't think demonizing the Russian populace is really achieving anything, people aren't their government. The US has done some abhorrent things, and I'm not an evil person, nor am I just fine with killing anyone.

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[-] lapingvino@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

and when you reach 10%, you basically toggle the general opinion massively.

[-] Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

On average sure, but putin probably has more than 3.5% subverting democracy for him, it's not so simple for the people.

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[-] nadram@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

THAT is the truth. They can love or hate the situation but there's nothing they can do about it. So, no point in generalising and hating on Russians. Save it for Putin, the Russian gov and there butt-licking oligarchs

[-] scarabic@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

As are the soldiers

[-] quadropiss@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Nope they aren't. I can assure you

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[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 52 points 1 year ago

[-] Astroturfed@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago

There's a reason they've been trying to avoid drafting soldiers from Moscow/major metro areas. They're intentionally pulling more people from the ethnic minority rural regions. Problem is, they're running out of soldiers...

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[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 30 points 1 year ago

Not just in Moscow, Vatnik.

[-] _xDEADBEEF@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago

Can't imagine why...

[-] cloud@lazysoci.al 13 points 1 year ago

The day we all start to see military with disgust it's the day wars will stop

[-] Fades@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

Even the Ukraine defenders?

[-] scarabic@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

If it really is “we all” who come to this realization, there won’t be anything to defend Ukraine against.

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[-] Ubermeisters@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 year ago

War won't ever stop. It's part of the human condition. Some persons and groups of people will always feel entitled to what others have on the basis of relative standing as viewed from thier viewpoint.

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[-] Ataraxia@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Didn't stop Vietnam and those vets still get treated like shit

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[-] keeb420@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

oh no russian solders get spat upon in their home land. anyway...

[-] vlad76@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 year ago

Vietnam comes to mind

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[-] wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

I feel like Russia doesn't even deserve an armed force. Someone else just take over. Someone besides China, since not one of their government employees deserves to even breathe.

Just be good people. Don't make the rest of the world wish you'd all suddenly die in an "accident".

[-] vlad76@lemmy.sdf.org 26 points 1 year ago

That wouldn't work long term. If another country comes in and controls the security of Russia, then any issues Russian people have could be easily blamed on the "oppressors". And that would be used to bring back the totalitarian regime that is currently in charge.

I know Japan went through this, but that's a whole different culture. It won't work in Russia because they're always looking for a savior. Lenin "saved" them from the Empire which led to 80 or so years of Communist oppression. Then Gorbachev tried to "save" them from that. Yeltsin "saved" them from the Soviet remains. Putin "saved" them from the post Soviet collapse poverty. Or at least he said he would do it.

I was born in Russia and remember as a little kid going with my grandma to vote for Putin's "White Bear" party. People really thought he would save them from the evil West and all of the things that US were allegedly doing to us.

I hope that in this day and age people are able to overcome the internal propaganda of their countries, but seeing how Putin is planning to cut Russia off from the internet, and understanding how effective language barriers still are, I fear that it will become a North Korea situation. It's so fucking sad.

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this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023

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