ADVERTISEMENT

This might be a little tougher than Putin thought...

I sure hope all these negative “leaks” are just info war stuff. Either way, it feels like the next couple months will turn the tide for either side, good or bad. I’m feeling super nervous for Ukraine. They’re seemingly about to go HAM, and if it’s not anything but a smashing success, things could go sideways real quick. SLAVA UKRAINE!!!!!
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Torg and GOHOX69
KYIV, Ukraine — The men in uniform could show up almost anywhere, any time.
They knock on civilians’ front doors and randomly stop them on street corners, handing out draft papers that can turn lives upside down.
Ukraine needs more soldiers — and fast. Kyiv is preparing for an imminent assault on Russian occupying forces, and while Ukraine does not disclose its casualty counts, commanders in the field have described large losses. In February, a German official said Berlin believed at least 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded since the start of the invasion.

“We need to understand if the war lasts another year, we’re all going to be in the army,” said Sasha, 35, a casting director and amateur kickboxer who is taking a private military training course in the capital in case he is drafted. He spoke on the condition that only his first name be used, because of concerns over publicizing his mobilization status.
A much-hyped spring counteroffensive will rely on both new soldiers and more experienced troops newly trained on donated Western equipment, including Leopard 2 tanks. And the pace and aggression with which officials are now calling on civilian men to report to military offices — or sign up on their own — are sowing panic among those who feel unprepared or unwilling to serve.

Previously, officials could only deliver draft papers to people’s homes, and some avoided the notices by staying at different addresses than where they are officially registered. But new rules have widened the scope of places where men can be stopped and questioned about their draft status.

Martial law in place in Ukraine since February 2022 bars most men between ages 18 and 60 from leaving the country. Under mobilization rules, any man in that range can theoretically be called to fight. Exceptions are made, including for students; parents with three or more children under 18; caretakers of disabled dependents; and those deemed medically unfit, among others.

Almost a quarter-million Ukrainians will turn 18 this year — making them old enough to sign up to fight, or, if they’re male and still in the country, too old to leave.

The Ukrainian army has long relied on volunteers. But now many Ukrainian men — even those working as volunteers or doing other useful jobs as civilians — cannot escape the draft, or at least registering in military offices.

Oleksii Kruchukov, 46, a washing machine repairman waiting in line outside a recruitment office in Kyiv, said he was ordered to report there after police broke up a fight he got into on the street. He did not have any valid military exemptions and said he expected that the incident will result in him soon being sent to training, and then the front.
Oleksandr Kostiuk, 52, a road repairman who helped set up barriers against Russian forces around Kyiv last year, recently received his notice via his human resources department at work. He is willing to go to the front if he has to — but fears for his safety. “Now we understand what’s going on, so I’m more nervous,” he said.

Thousands of other civilians are preempting such situations, instead signing up in droves for a force called the Offensive Guard — made up of eight new assault brigades.
Some are responding to the posters plastered across the country’s highways calling on civilians to join — and “turn your rage into a weapon.” The young men may have recently turned 18 and now qualify, or have cleared up family obligations that previously stopped them from joining. Others hope enlisting of their own accord will give them better training and prestige than if they were drafted.



Yeah, it's tough to sign up. Maybe I'd even wait a bit. I have an uncle who fought in combat in Korea, but famously said he waited to be drafted versus enlisting. But, for a Ukrainian to dodge service, that's baffling. How well do they think they will do living under the boot heel of Russia?
 
Yeah, it's tough to sign up. Maybe I'd even wait a bit. I have an uncle who fought in combat in Korea, but famously said he waited to be drafted versus enlisting. But, for a Ukrainian to dodge service, that's baffling. How well do they think they will do living under the boot heel of Russia?
Yeah, pretty hard to believe anyone in a country actively occupied by a foreign invader would dodge military service. It’s fvcking go time bro. That being said, I’m not in their shoes. I hope I’d be more selfless than a draft dodger in Ukraine.
 
FtaRvf3WYAEuehP
 
  • Like
Reactions: HawkMD
Whoever leaked this did a lot of damage...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The online leaks of scores of highly classified documents about the Ukraine war present a “very serious” risk to national security, and senior leaders are quickly taking steps to mitigate the damage, a top Pentagon spokesman said Monday. And as the public airing of the data sends shockwaves across the U.S. government, the White House said there are concerns there could be additional leaks.

Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first became aware on Thursday that a number of classified briefing slides detailing the U.S. military efforts in the Ukraine war and intelligence involving other nations were leaked.

In the days since, Austin has reached out to allies, held daily meetings to assess the damage and set up a group not only to assess the scope of the information lost but review who has access to those briefings. The department is looking closely at “how this type of information is distributed and to whom,” Meagher said.



 
Whoever leaked this did a lot of damage...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The online leaks of scores of highly classified documents about the Ukraine war present a “very serious” risk to national security, and senior leaders are quickly taking steps to mitigate the damage, a top Pentagon spokesman said Monday. And as the public airing of the data sends shockwaves across the U.S. government, the White House said there are concerns there could be additional leaks.

Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first became aware on Thursday that a number of classified briefing slides detailing the U.S. military efforts in the Ukraine war and intelligence involving other nations were leaked.

In the days since, Austin has reached out to allies, held daily meetings to assess the damage and set up a group not only to assess the scope of the information lost but review who has access to those briefings. The department is looking closely at “how this type of information is distributed and to whom,” Meagher said.



Will be interesting to see who they determine was involved.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HawkMD and h-hawk
Another AP story about the intelligence leaks. This one focuses on the UAE, and their possible complicity in aiding Russia. It is being reported that some of the leaks contain doctored information, but Russians and their money have been piling into the UAE since the war started. That has been widely reported.
https://apnews.com/article/intellig...e&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_01
The leaks are very bad, full stop.

That said, it must terrify these smaller countries just how much information we’ve managed to garner.
 
Last edited:
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT