25 Jul, 2022 18:10
Maksim Artemyev:Public opinion seems to be turning against the military draft in Ukraine, how will the Zelensky regime respond?
The Kiev regime has been ignoring discontent among soldiers and civilians and refuses to disclose casualty numbers
Five months into Russia's military offensive in Ukraine many in the latter state are starting to vocalise their objection to the draft imposed by the regime in Kiev.Especially as the propaganda about victory, any day now, starts to lose its power.
Popular Ukrainian blogger and activist Yury Kasyanov recently made a post on his Facebook page, in which he complained: “Let’s stop the mobilization, open the borders, and dissolve all the military recruitment offices… Let the professionals do the fighting – after all, they get paid for it – and let the volunteers join in, because they want to fight. But I am an untrained civilian, unfit for war, I’m going to get myself killed. And I pay my taxes, too!”
“Judging by the comments on the previous post,nine out of ten Ukrainians have no intention to fight; they oppose nationwide mobilization, as well as the ban on men leaving the country.”
It should be noted that Kasyanov’s followers, like himself, are fierce supporters of the idea that Ukraine must fight Russia to the bitter end. And yet, even among them, the vast majority have no desire to die for the glory of Ukraine.
Modern civilization is built on a very self-conscious attitude toward one’s health. Other core values include bodily integrity, the right to privacy, and of course, everyday comfort and convenience. None of these go together well with the squalid realities of the front line. One might say that the whole ethos of war stands in opposition to the values of today's society. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Ukrainians do not want to go to war. Yes, if you listen to what they say, the majority of Ukrainians are patriots. But when it comes to getting up from the couch and actually going to the front, very few are willing to ‘walk the talk’.Soiboys
And I don’t imagine that,after 30,000 more Ukrainian soldiers have perished on the battlefield, anyone would feel more motivated to join the cause. In fact, it would likely produce the opposite effect: ‘I don’t want to die like all the others’. It is much safer to engage in fiery debates on social media from home, or to follow the fighting on YouTube.
What’s more, Ukraine is going through a demographic crisis with its population shrinking from 52 million in 1991 to barely more than 30 million, even before the conflict erupted in February. The situation is so bad that the state has avoided holding a census for over two decades.
While the internet is flooded with videos of Ukrainian soldiers refusing to fight, complaining that their fleeing commanders are throwing them at tanks as cannon fodder– without any equipment or training. There are hundreds of these videos and new ones are uploaded every day. They are shot by Ukrainians in military fatigues, not Russian state media. Also, the number of videos showing Ukrainian women refusing to let their men be taken by the police or recruiters is also growing…
Not once has President Vladimir Zelensky mentioned the countless instances of soldiers refusing to obey orders, which is mostly the case with mobilized men and volunteers on the front line who thought they were going to serve near their home areas.
There is little wonder why Ukrainian media pretends the issue doesn’t exist. The mere acknowledgement of the fact that so many soldiers are discontented would shatter the carefully constructed image of a nation united in selfless patriotism.
The gag order from the Ukrainian government preventing publication of any data on the army’s losses – unquestioned by Western media – is no accident either. All of this provides a clear answer as to why Kiev is actively recruiting foreign mercenaries.
Military enlistment offices are extremely disorganized. Recruitment campaigns are run in the streets, shopping malls, and even on public beaches. Recruiters have also been reported using their power to draft eligible males as leverage against them or a means of revenge or punishment. This again shows that many perceive the prospect of joining the army to protect the homeland as undesirable rather than an honor.
It remains unclear how Kiev plans to tackle this pressing issue, when so many seem to feel the cause is not worth risking their own lives for.
https://www.rt.com/russia/559447-zelensky-ignoring-critical-issue/