On March 1, Russia killed and wounded more than 100 recruits of what remained of the newly formed 157th Mechanized Brigade in Cherskaske, Dnipropetrovsk region with an Iskander-M strike. A reconnaissance drone more than 100 kilometers inside Ukrainian territory was used to guide the short-range (500 kilometer) ballistic missile, which obliterated a large tent encampment in the middle of nowhere.
The 157th, like other brigades in the 150th series, had been slapped together hastily without proper training, sent to Pokrovsk and then cannibalized to replenish other brigades fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Incompetency in war is deadly. Draft-eligible men these days are not wildly enthusiastic about joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The brigades of the 150th series were populated with recruits picked up at checkpoints and transported under guard in buses to basic training camps around the country.
Ukraine’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Commander-in-Chief are unlikely to accept responsibility for the latest tragedy. Professional military incompetence is main reason people aren’t keen to get drafted and killed. It’s also the reason they go AWOL.
I was here just two weeks ago, waiting to be transferred to another unit. There are no special shelters there, the tents are not buried, it's all the fault of laziness and fucking idiocy of the commanders. I hope this episode will be a good lesson for everyone. My condolences to the families of the victims. — Infantryman Predator (Telegram, March 2, 2025)
The total insanity, negligence and stupidity of officials are the cause of human casualties in the rear, and this at a time when virtually every soldier is worth his weight in gold in the face of a shortage of personnel... I would not be surprised if they were still inspecting military formations or standing around for several hours waiting for some big shot. — Officer + (Telegram, March 2, 2025)
Z ignored the latest avoidable fuck-up entirely in yesterday’s pep talk from London.
More than 100,000 soldiers have been charged under Ukraine’s desertion laws since Russia invaded in February 2022, according to the country’s General Prosecutor’s Office.
Nearly half have gone AWOL in 2024 after Kyiv launched an poorly managed and controversial mobilization drive that government officials and military commanders now admit was a failure. .
There were an estimated 300,000 Ukrainian soldiers engaged in combat before the mobilization drive began. And the actual number of soldiers absent without leave may be much higher. One lawmaker with knowledge of military matters estimated told the Associated Press that it could be as high as 200,000.
The term coalition of the willing was applied to the US-led Multi-National Force in Iraq during 1993. That was a ill conceived disasterous op and it’s a dumb idea to repurpose the name for Europe’s campaign to defend Ukraine.
We want European leaders to impress upon Z the importance of getting his act together at home. That means ending selective persecution of political rivals, military patrimonialism and media monopolization. Walk the talk, talk the walk, et cetera. We don’t want Ukraine to wind up like Team USA, where top government posts are all occupied by techno fascists and loyalists without the proper qualifications.
And, finally, Tulsi.
We should prob stop sharing secrets with Team USA entirely.