Grandstand. After two months of conflict, the Russian army is showing its worst face in Ukraine: tactical failures, discovery of massacres such as in Boutcha and Borodianka, near kyiv, and accusations of war rape follow one another. Can we be surprised? The Russian army has, especially since Chechnya [1999-2000], an image marked by violence. Internally, the same is true: ill-treatment makes conscripts fear military service despite their patriotism. However, these constitute a large part of the troops.
This ambivalence towards the army questions the raising of 134,500 men, announced by Moscow [le 31 mars]. The Kremlin announced that no conscript would join the “special operation”, but nothing excludes that some are encouraged or even pressured to quickly sign a contract of engagement. To refuse to affix his signature is to appear as a coward or a traitor in the eyes of his comrades, especially when the war is raging in Ukraine and the Russian army, which has suffered heavy losses, has a crucial need for new soldiers. Even if their operational skills are non-existent.
The Russian military operation suffered from tactical inconsistencies and massive logistical deficiencies. The supply of fuel and basic necessities has been affected, reducing the soldiers to face the cold and sometimes hunger. Many testimonies then reported desertions showing abandoned tanks. Although difficult to quantify with precision, these behaviors show the lack of morale of the Russian military, unprepared for a high-intensity war. In fact, according to several captured Russian soldiers, many of them thought they were taking part in simple exercises. Moreover, many of these men were very young and obviously unprepared for such a conflict. The Ukrainians defend themselves with great combativeness and have acquired war experience after eight years of conflict in the Donbass. They are fighting for the survival of their state.
Sensitive subject
Despite the ‘fortress under siege’ rhetoric traditionally used in Russia to stir patriotism by glorifying military heroism, conscription remains a sensitive topic. The spring and autumn conscriptions are periods marked by fear for families and young people aged 18 to 27, as the ill-treatment in the Russian army has marked people’s minds. Since the end of the 1990s, the committee of soldiers’ mothers, which is barely audible today, has been reporting the physical and psychological violence suffered by the soldiers, and the deprivations, including of food and medical care. Also, there are many avoidance strategies ranging, without being exhaustive, from resuming studies, medical certificates, last-minute marriages with single mothers, and corruption for those who can afford it. Finally, the number of searches performed on yandex.rua popular Internet search engine in Russia, relating to the postponement of conscription, testifies to this desire to avoid.
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