Isn’t this just what every country needs: a military force, already partly comprised of hardened criminals and barbaric mercenaries, and now — along with all of those poor conscripted Russian and North Korean soldiers — about to be joined by a whole lot of syphilitics, mentally disturbed individuals, and people with high blood pressure who could blow at any moment.

What a pretty picture that is . . . not to mention, how reassuring for the citizens dependent upon their military to keep them safe.

But desperate times call for desperate measures . . . and it appears that Vladimir Putin has reached that point of desperation. His war against Ukraine — which he originally predicted would be over in a matter of just days, or weeks at the most — has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties among his own troops over the past three years. And he has already had to resort to finding replacements for those losses by luring thousands of convicted criminals from prisons, convincing them that even war is better than prison (and he may actually be right about that); and paying huge bonuses to Russian citizens desperate to support their families . . . not to mention the 11,000 professional fighters “borrowed” from North Korea.

(Aside: I’m not sure how he plans to “give back” the 1,000 or so North Korean soldiers who have been killed to date . . . but that’s for Putin and Kim to work out between themselves.)

Yet even that has evidently not been sufficient to fill the void. So he is making it more difficult for potential conscripts to avoid the draft for medical reasons by proposing revisions to the military’s Schedule of Illnesses, which outlines eligibility for exclusion from service based on health issues. [RFE/RL, February 7, 2025.]

If adopted, the proposed revisions would make it more difficult to avoid military service for reasons such as high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, and other conditions. And while the rules currently provide that persons diagnosed with latent syphilis are exempt from conscription during peacetime, the revised rule would allow them to serve in roles such as engineering and railway troops, signalmen, and technicians.

Great. All those young men with latent syphilis, who may not be exhibiting any obvious symptoms, sharing quarters — and a latrine — with all the others . . . well, it doesn’t require a lot of imagination to figure out what would happen next.

And if venereal disease doesn’t get you, there’s always the possibility of being attacked by a mentally unstable bunkmate who finally loses it in the middle of a missile attack and goes “postal” on his buddies. Because the proposed new rules would also designate “those diagnosed with ‘severe’ mental problems due to stress and mood disorders as fit to serve during wartime” — whereas they are currently, and properly, designated as “unfit for military service” [id.].

*. *. *

Artyom Klyga, a lawyer with the Russian anti-war group Movement of Conscientious Objectors, has said — in what appears to be a clear understatement — that the changes would “significantly worsen the situation of both military personnel and conscripts.” He said that his group has been aware of the loopholes for some time, and they’ve been wondering when the government would finally address them.

“Many changes have been promised since the 2000s, but no one touched either the draft or the issue of mobilization,” Klyga added. “As soon as [mobilization] was announced in September 2022, we realized that we have thousands of gaps in the legislation.” [Id.]

So now Putin proposes to fill those gaps with physically and mentally ill individuals who clearly cannot be relied upon to give 100% to the job; whose conditions will inevitably worsen under battle conditions; and — worst of all — who present a real danger to their comrades-in-arms.

Great idea, Vlad. This way, you not only fill the vacancies in the ranks; at the same time, you rid the country of thousands of “undesirables”: people with debilitating diseases and mental illnesses who are a blight on society and a drain on Russia’s economy.

Adolph would have been so proud.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/25