One protester, who asked that his name not be used, said he knew that discipline in the armed forces was an issue but that long sentences without independent legal review went too far and was not in the spirit of Ukraine’s citizen army. On the contrary, this is the way Russia treats military personnel.
What are we, a bunch of Asians?
The fear of many Ukrainians is that young men between 18 and 22 will now flee in large numbers, leaving the armed forces come 2027 with too few new recruits – and Ukraine, a country with severe demographic deficiencies, with too few people when the war ends. One 25-year-old woman told me that in her brother’s cohort of friends ages 18 to 22, most of them were planning to leave the country. She said the new law was wrongheaded and would hurt the war effort.
Some of you will die, but that's a risk I'm willing to take
The obvious conclusion is that Zelensky needs new counsel. Ukraine’s world of think tanks, consultants, foundations, and civic organizations burnish a wealth of knowledge and experience, much of which they have accrued over the past six years. Zelensky should draw on this rich cache to renew his advisors and reconnect to the Ukrainian public while it still believes in him.
Yes, let's all listen to the Nazis, that's going swimmingly right now
I'll start sanctifying our supply of promethium