On one hand, I absolutely agree with this. It’s human nature to want to avoid such a fate if one can reasonably avoid it. If I had the money and could buy my way out of participation in a fucking war…I’d hate to think that I wouldn’t.
I know it’s their home and things like that…but not everyone cares about those sorts of ties, and they become even less meaningful in death. I’m not saying I condone their actions, just that I understand.
I mean, I have some sympathy for the ones giving the bribes. No sympathy for the ones taking the bribes who are being charged.
For sure, that’s what I was commenting on. Can’t speak at all for the one’s accepting the bribes, knowing what it means for their fellow soldiers.
Military pay is shit and you’ve got to make up the difference somewhere.
Living in a warzone isn’t cheap.
Ultimately human conflict is meaningless and there’s a non zero chance that you’ll be immortal if you survive the next ten years.
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Well, “I understand” doesn’t mean much here, now does it?!
I understand how many people who are unable to feel the pain of others, including the pain that they cause to others, such as Sociopaths, Psychopaths, Narcissists and so on will, if they think they can get away with it, not at all refrain from causing huge suffering to countless other people if they themselves come out of it better.
And it’s all irrelevant: whilst it’s psychologically easier for them to cause suffering to others (as they feel no guilt) as individuals with agency they’re still the ones who choose to or not-to cause suffering to others: if they act thus they should be punished, if they don’t they should not.
The only thing the “understanding” brings is putting such people higher up the list for surveillance and as suspect when it comes to detecting and punishing the harming of others than people who psychologically find it a lot harder act so because, unlike this group, they feel guilt.
If it’s a crime, do not fire them, lock them up in pris-
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the actions “treason” and has initiated criminal proceedings.
Oh. Oh well.
Also, one of the main reasons the Russian army has been underperforming is corruption. Loads of money siphoned, incompetent people getting positions, you name it. Zelenskyy is also making sure the same doesn’t happen in his country and stays on top performance/efficiency wise.
Zelenskyy will go down in history with the likes of all great leaders. The man has risen to legendary status. Once this war is won and Ukraine is free, I hope he gets that much deserved beer and beach vacation.
Slava Ukraina
I can only agree with every single word, but I think he should go the Churchill way, and just find some peaceful and relaxing job once the whole thing is over (I know, Churchill actually stayed around for a while). For one: because he will definitely deserve it; but for two: looking at history (not excluding my own country’s), too many great politicians have fallen into the “…or you live long enough to become the villain” category. I’m rooting hard for Zelenskyy to at least get a draw and not go mad later.
He has said a few times that after the war he’ll retire from politics.
Considering his abysmal approval rating before the war and his huge popularity during it, I think he’ll take the “amazing wartime president” label and happily walk away afterwards.
If history has shown us anything, the politicians you need in wartime and peacetime need very different skillsets.
I love that the guy now being a hardass leader saving his country from a powerful invading force is there because he got famous playing the piano with his penis. What a career path! (Also, watch that video because it’s really funny.)
I think it’s far more likely that, over time, we find out he was pocketing a huge chunk of the wartime aid we US taxpayers are graciously going into further debt in order to fund, like Hamid Karzai and Saddam Hussein, themselves once also darlings of the US war machine.
Ah yes because the money we give them is definitely more than a tiny drop in the lake which is the US military spending.
The key words there are ‘US military spending’.
Canada spends approximately 26 billion a year on their national defense.
The US spends over a trillion, and Congress has approved around 113 billion (and that was way back in March) for Ukraine. That is, by any measure, not a drop in the bucket. It’s unreasonable to argue that all 50 states wouldn’t benefit more from having those funds distributed at the state level. Hawaii in particular comes to mind right now.
Arguably out of all the times pepole should complain about us military spending this is probably the worst .war in ukraine is probably one of the most just conflicts america was invloved in since probably the korean war or perhaps even WW2 . Its pretty rare to have a situation where you can say one side is the bad guy with such a certainity.And its not like they are sending troops or anything.just equipment and ammo ,more often that not american made, which means most of those dollars stays in USA either way.
Alghtough the fact that the usual US military budget is overblown is also true.
And its not like they are sending troops or anythin
I HATE this argument.
Yeah, we’re not sending soldiers, but we’re still getting people killed for this war. You know why? We neglect our own people’s needs. There are people dying in heat waves that we could save with proper resources. There are diabetics who need insulin. We don’t have a health care system, and if you suffer a major injury or illness, chances are you’re dying or going bankrupt.
Our war spending gets our own people killed, just maybe not with a missile. There are real life consequences the poor and middle class experience because our government chooses to make war profiteers richer every single year.
Arguably out of all the times pepole should complain about us military spending this is probably the worst .war in ukraine is probably one of the most just conflicts america was invloved in since probably the korean war or perhaps even WW2
Our entire right wing in the US rolls like this. Like literally the only time they scream and shout and threaten is when people are just, competent, knowledgeable, and reasonable. They hate anything that works well and love blanketing the earth in mass misery.
OK, 🇷🇺Vlad🇷🇺
the Russian army has been underperforming is corruption
Check under the hood of any army and you’re going to find all sorts of corruption, graft, and kickbacks. War Is A Racket.
A real crime here is the draft. And before the tankies start circling this post, it applies to russia as well.
I usually dislike picking hairs of evil when the alternative solution was getting annexed back into a cultural meat grinder
Dude, Ukraine was invaded. The last time the US has had to use a draft for circumstances like this was the Civil War, and everyone now thinks it was warranted then.
The last time the US has had to use a draft for circumstances like this was the Civil War
Didn’t teach history in your school?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States
You missed the “for circumstances like this” part. There were certainly other uses of the draft for other circumstances that are looked at poorly.
WWI and WWII didn’t have a direct US invasion, and we’re also looked at positively, but is out of the scope of the discussion.
You won’t find a single country on this planet that wouldn’t draft their citizens in a wartime situation while you’re running out of soldiers. Not a single one.
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BATTLE-POPE, INITIATE COMBAT SEQUENCE.
FREEDOM FROM YOUR SINS IS NON NEGOTIABLE
that’s because the Vatican already drafts them to keep their heads in 1600, therefore they don’t know what modern warfare is
Costa Rica doesn’t have an army
Running out of soldiers? I thought the Russians were a bunch of morons who can’t do anything and the Ukrainians were beating their asses in their sleep? Why would they need more soldiers?
Pretty sure only you thought that
Guess you weren’t paying attention to all the posts laughing about how the Russian military is so incompetent.
Regular draft is unacceptable. But this is not a regular draft.
a brilliant attempt to bothsides this invasion situation right here
No. The invading side is clearly worse. If it weren’t for the invading army, there would be no war.
Forcing people to risk their lives for a piece of dirt is still evil though.
They’re not defending just “dirt” they’re defending THEIR CHILDREN AND NEIGHBORS.
Children and neighbors can be moved. I don’t live in Ukraine, but when shit hit the fan, I was watching the news daily, while thinking about the most efficient way to pack everyone up in the car, and get the hell out. Luckily, the front line has stabilized relatively far from the western borders of UA. That’s enough of a buffer between me and russia for now.
If the situation ever changes, I’m not going to wait for the bombs to fall. I’m going to try to outrun them. It would suck to loose my home, but life is worth more to me than a bunch of bricks.
Children and neighbors can be moved.
wow. just wow.
I don’t live in Ukraine,
Whelp.
It would suck to loose my home, but life is worth more to me than a bunch of bricks.
The point goes sailing so far over your head I wonder about your last reply.
The point goes sailing so far over your head
As long as it’s not the bombs…
You do realize the irony of “dirt doesn’t matter, it’s just dirt” when you’re not moving right now because…people are defending their own dirt???
I think the calculus is different here, because it isn’t just dirt. We’ve seen what happens to cities and civilians when Russia invades an area.
Their needs to be a term when people use the “both sides” argument in bad faith to try and deflect legitimate criticism. I guess it kind of falls under whattaboutism ironically enough "nevermind the bad things Ukraine is doing, whattabout the bad things Russia is doing?
Don’t know about you, but I think bribery should be an act of treasen whether at war or at peace.
Treason is a really powerful crime that carries heavy consequences. Bribery at peace should still carry consequences but in some cases (countries) treason alone carries a death penalty. Bribery during peace maybe shouldn’t carry such a steep penalty
Agreed, equating them is just penalty inflation.
A more productive focus would be:
- that those who have been shown to accept bribes are actually removed from their position prosecuted successfully.
- Transparent governance with independent watchdogs so that corruption is harder to hide.
Alt-righters calling Zelenskyy corrupt and so on all day long. Look how stressed his face looks. He’s aged like 30 years since the war started.
Sure is.
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Another user that is less than 24 hours old spewing Russian propaganda bullet-points? Shocking!
said the 2 month old tourist
How old do you think Kbin.social is?
The guy that was offered by the US to be extracted at the start of the war, but instead chose remain in the war with his people, that guy? He’s looking for bribes??
The amount of stupid you have to be, to post something this brainless boggles the mind.
You actually fell for that PR stunt? The Afghanistan government installed by the US was also very brave up until the US withdrew and they ran away shitting their pants. Zelenskyy knows he’s in absolutely no danger at all while under the full protection of the US and the rest of the west.
Add another obvious troll to the ban pile
You really live in your own reality huh?
calm down Vlad
I thought treason was just an excuse for the winners to hang the losers.
No, teason is aiding the enemy in times of war.
Maybe in a civil war.
It infuriates me that more people aren’t talking about how sexist it is that Ukraine only drafted its men. I can understand instituting a draft when your country is literally being invaded, but it should apply to all able-bodied citizens, not just men.
There is a point in the fact that men are biologically more suited to fight than women. Also no one is preventing a woman to join the military.
In the end it just sucks, no one should ever have to be drafted.
