Not worth spit...

"I feel bad for many of these young Russian soldiers. They are no more than kids. They know not why they are in Ukraine, what they are fighting for. Their commanders are monsters, who are taking orders from bigger monsters in the Kremlin." 

We do all of us - have value. Our brave service men and women have lots of value. They are looked at by their commanding officers, lead NCOs, as well as the citizenry, as being one of our finest resources. But that is not the way it is in other countries. Like where? Like Russia. Putin's generals treat their troops like expendables. Garbage. Like they are not worth spit.

Putin and his bloodthirsty generals deserve no quarter. They are evil. Heartless. Murderers. What they have done to the innocent citizens of Ukraine, is light years beyond the pale. However, what they are doing to their own soldiers, especially the conscripts, is just about as bad.

Some of what has been reported needs to be taken with a grain of salt. There is after all, the "fog of war" that might be tainting some reporting. But some of our retired generals, who are consultants on cable, all seem to be in agreement. Russia's logistics for this war were terrible from the get-go. Part of that, was assuming the Ukrainian Army would roll over and play dead once the invasion started. That Russian tanks would drive victoriously into Kyiv, to cheering civilians. Zelenskyy would be removed, and a "puppet" government would be installed.

Instead, the Russians found just the opposite. A tough, entrenched, hardened Ukraine Army. Cold weather, low food, empty gas tanks, ammo running low. Plus, if we can believe what some of the captured Russian soldiers have told their captures, this was only to be a training exercise. Not the extermination of a country. 

Self inflicted wounds, desertions, malingering illnesses - anything to get out of this mess. To top it all off, recent reporting is the Russians have turned control over the Chernobyl nuke plant to Ukraine. Again, take this for what it is worth - it is reported that many Russian soldiers received radiation poisoning from digging trenches in contaminated soil. Hundreds needed to be sent home because of it. 

One of our retired generals summed it up this way. The United States goes out of its way to avoid civilian casualties in a war. The Russians target civilians. If the United States needs to go to war, we try to make it as quick as possible. Actually, we try to win, and do it with the minimum number of enemy dead or wounded. Russia on the other hand, sees its troops as fodder. They have already put the call out for more conscripts to fill the void left by the first month's fighting. 

I feel bad for many of these young Russian soldiers. They are no more than kids. They know not why they are in Ukraine, what they are fighting for. Their commanders are monsters, who are taking orders from bigger monsters in the Kremlin. 

History will judge Russia harshly for this misstep. The civilized people of the world, already have.