AFP: Dozens of Russian troops 'flee unit, fearing Ukraine deployment'
Moscow (AFP) - Dozens of Russian soldiers are facing trial for fleeing their unit, fearing deployment to Ukraine, a news site and a lawyer for five of the men said Saturday.
The popular Gazeta.ru website said several dozen soldiers would be prosecuted after fleeing a training ground in southern Russia where they were under pressure to "volunteer" to fight in Ukraine.
The troops had freely enlisted for the army and are not draftees, it said.
It is the latest report to allege Russian soldiers are being sent to eastern Ukraine despite Moscow's insistence that only "volunteers" are fighting alongside the pro-Russian separatists.
Update: Reports: Russian troops leave unit fearing Ukraine deployment -- Deutsche Welle
WNU Editor: Talk about coincidences .... while preparing this post I then came across this news story .... US soldiers opposed to war now find Canada less hospitable (AP).
Still...
ReplyDelete2 years in prison is a much better alternative then several in Iraq.
Several would have to be 4 to 8 years in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteYou could find many people with 3 tours. You might even find people with 4 tours.
Several years in Iraq?
You can chop, dissect, reassemble or analyze the data several different ways. You could look at all the troops deployed, or those that frequently find themselves outside the wire on the roads. The latter would have a greater death toll.
The MRAPs were awesome. As awesome as they were the Jihadis could double stack tank mines and flip M1 tanks. Still that tanks a lot of effort and the enemy does not have unlimited time, manpower or resources. The MRAPs helped along with aggressive pursuit of the enemy and denying the sanctuary. In 2008 the death rate was way down. So you would have to refigure your stats.
By early 2008 Iraq was becoming a sink for jihadi manpower and resources. We were killing them faster than they could infiltrate.
You have to remember it is not only the 2 years in jail but the BCD afterwards.