War in Ukraine Developments

[PeterRS]

Threads going off on tangents is common on most chat boards like this. But I do think linking Ukraine with the thread about the end of the Pacific War is going too far, and so I'll start this one.

@Moses has made comments in the Lest We Forget thread about there being no "forced mobilization" in Russia and all the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine are volunteers. Now that is plain wrong. Every male aged between 18 and 30 has to spend 12 months military service without pay. Avoiding this is a crime. Further, men in that age group cannot obtain work uless that have the papers to prove their mandatory period of military service.  Well, if this is not conscription, I wonder what is! Even the Moscow Times calls it "conscription", pointing out on April 2 2025 that 160,000 had been conscripted as servicemen during the first of two annual conscription periods, an increase from the previous year.  So what baloney is @Moses spounting now! Putin has alleged that these young men do not serve in the Ukraine War. And who believes that, I wonder? As The Moscow Times points out, some conscripts are drafted to fight in the war by signing up for it at high salaries. Once signed up, they cannot get out of the contract - presumably unless dead! And some basic conscripts who did not sign up have indeed been on the front lines and died there - as also stated by The Moscow Times.

We do know that long-term prisoners have been given the opportunity to fight on the front lines in return for their sentences being reduced. Although they are not Russian, North Korea is Russia's ally. We know that last year 10,000 North Koreans joined the front lines. 12 milion 152-millimeter artillery rounds were also sent to bolster Russia's fighting machine. @Moses loves to sweep everything under the carpet as western propsaganda. He cannot do that re the addition of North Korea trooops and aid, for Kim Jong-il actually announced this publicly at the end of April!

We know, too, that just before Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov visited North Korea on July 6 and met with both Kim Jong-il and his counterpart Choe Son-hui, North Korea pledged to increase its forces to fight on the Ukraine front lines by a further 25,000 - 30,000. Approximately 4,000 of the original 10,000 have been killed or badly wounded. This is in addiition to the estimated 970,000 Russian troops who have been killed, wounded, captured or are missing in action since the start of the invasion in 2022.

https://mwi.westpoint.edu/the-second-north-korean-wave-in-ukraine-what-next-as-pyongyangs-troops-arrive-on-russias-front-lines/

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/02/so-youve-been-drafted-into-the-russian-army-what-does-that-mean-a88569

[Moses]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

@Moses has made comments in the Lest We Forget thread about there being no "forced mobilization" in Russia and all the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine are volunteers. Now that is plain wrong. Every male aged between 18 and 30 has to spend 12 months military service without pay. Avoiding this is a crime. Further, men in that age group cannot obtain work uless that have the papers to prove their mandatory period of military service.  Well, if this is not conscription, I wonder what is! Even the Moscow Times calls it "conscription", pointing out on April 2 2025 that 160,000 had been conscripted as servicemen during the first of two annual conscription periods, an increase from the previous year.  So what baloney is @Moses spounting now! Putin has alleged that these young men do not serve in the Ukraine War. And who believes that, I wonder? As The Moscow Times points out, some conscripts are drafted to fight in the war by signing up for it at high salaries. Once signed up, they cannot get out of the contract - presumably unless dead! And some basic conscripts who did not sign up have indeed been on the front lines and died there - as also stated by The Moscow Times.

Lies.
Pure propaganda lies.

I will assume that you either did not understand (I want to believe in this version), or deliberately distort the facts.

In Russia, there are 2 types of military personnel: conscripts and contract soldiers. For each of these 2 types, the law determines the conditions of service.

Conscripts are called up for 12 months and are trained in military affairs in training military units. The law determines that such service should take place as close to home as possible. Sending a conscript to combat units is a criminal offense. Sending a conscript to serve outside of Russia without declaring martial law in the country is also a criminal offense, even if the conscript is not fighting, but simply guarding an army warehouse far from the front line.

Military commissariats are responsible for conscription, they are also responsible for recruiting contract soldiers. From 2022 to the present, 67 cases of conscripts being sent to combat units are known. 67 criminal cases were opened and officers of the commissariats lost their ranks and suffered criminal punishment.

Contract soldiers are the second category. The condition for concluding a contract is mandatory military service by conscription in the past and the presence of a military specialty. Without this, it is impossible to conclude a contract. Contract soldiers make up more than half of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. This was the case before 2014, and it is the case now. Officers are the personnel of the armed forces.

Only contract soldiers and officers can take part in combat operations.

[Moses]

3 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Further, men in that age group cannot obtain work uless that have the papers to prove their mandatory period of military service.

This is also a lie - yours or the media, where did you get it from.

A Russian man cannot get a government job if he does not have at least one of these documents: a master's degree, a doctor's degree, a certificate of registration with the military registration and enlistment office (only confirmation of registration), a military ID (this can be a confirmation of service, a confirmation of alternative service in hospitals or nursing homes, or a mark of unfitness for military service due to health).

Not every young man in Russia is required to undergo military training - a bachelor, masters and doctors are exempt from training during their studies, and masters and doctors are also exempted after completing their studies at universities. People are also exempted from compulsory military service for religious reasons and for pacifist beliefs - for this, there is an alternative service as orderlies in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as in state services for home care of the elderly.

In addition, naturally, those unfit for health reasons are exempted from military service. Another category is fathers of 3 or more children, and fathers of at least one child raising a child alone.

On average, about 30% of the male population serves in the military by conscription in each generation.

Nobody cares about proof of military service outside of state job. Commercial companies and NKO do not care about proof of military service.

[Moses]

3 hours ago, PeterRS said:

We know that last year 10,000 North Koreans joined the front lines. 12 milion 152-millimeter artillery rounds were also sent to bolster Russia's fighting machine. @Moses loves to sweep everything under the carpet as western propsaganda. He cannot do that re the addition of North Korea trooops and aid, for Kim Jong-il actually announced this publicly at the end of April!

We know, too, that just before Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov visited North Korea on July 6 and met with both Kim Jong-il and his counterpart Choe Son-hui, North Korea pledged to increase its forces to fight on the Ukraine front lines by a further 25,000 - 30,000. Approximately 4,000 of the original 10,000 have been killed or badly wounded. This is in addiition to the estimated 970,000 Russian troops who have been killed, wounded, captured or are missing in action since the start of the invasion in 2022.

This is also twisted propaganda and lie.

Soldiers from North Korea did take part in the fighting in the conflict.

North Korea fulfilled its duty to Russia under the mutual defense treaty - when Ukrainian troops invaded the territory of the Kursk region of Russia, North Korea sent its troops to Russia to help, as stipulated by the treaty.

The Koreans fought bravely in the territory of the Kursk region together with the Russian troops.

The Koreans did not enter the former Ukrainian territories and did not take part in the military conflict there. That is why, no matter how irritated they were by the fact of the participation of the Koreans in the conflict, no country or politician has yet accused North Korea of aggression against Ukraine. The actions of North Korea lie within the legal framework of international treaties and conventions.

[Moses]

4 hours ago, PeterRS said:

This is in addiition to the estimated 970,000 Russian troops who have been killed, wounded, captured or are missing in action since the start of the invasion in 2022.

This numbers are correlating with Ukrainian propaganda and has nothing mutual with real situation.

Although Russia does not report the size of its losses during the conflict, the real numbers are easily tracked down to the individual dead quite easily and reliably.

Russia has a single registry of inheritance cases. After the death of any Russian citizen from any cause, an inheritance case is opened. This registry is open and accessible to anyone online.

The opposition Russian media Meduza, together with the British non-profit foundation and BBC News, have been tracking all cases of opening inheritance cases since 2022. And they regularly publish a report.

Since inheritance cases arise with a delay of about 3 months, and it also takes time to count, there is a lag of about 6 months.

As of May 2025, 108,600 inheritance cases were opened.

https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/16/bbc-and-mediazona-confirm-deaths-of-more-than-108-600-russian-soldiers-in-ukraine

[Tomtravel]

Moses, Sept 1, 2025 amendments to the Russian criminal code are enforced and searching for „extremist content“ in the web is illegal in Russia. Everything related to the LGTB is extremist in Russia („international public LGTB movement“ - very wide definition for courts to interprete - is in the official „registry of extremism“).
 

Do you intend to continue in this site? 

Prosecutor could even think that participating in this very international gayguides site as a registered participant may qualify as „participating in the extremist organization“. 12 years in prison camp.

Under Russian criminal law, a person found guilty of displaying extremist group symbols faces up to 15 days in detention for the first offense and up to four years in prison for a repeat offense. Participatinging or financing an extremist organization is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. The authorities may include individuals suspected of involvement with an extremist organization in the countrywide “list of extremists” and freeze their bank accounts. People deemed to be involved with an extremist organization are barred from running for public office. 
 

[Moses]

22 minutes ago, Tomtravel said:

Prosecutor could even think that participating in this very international gayguides site as a registered participant may qualify as „participating in the extremist organization“. 12 years in prison camp.

Nope. It can't be qualified on such way. Term 'participating" has strict definition in law. If you will run with rainbow flag by street you'll be arrested and fined. If you will dance in gay club - nobody cares.

That why gay clubs, saunas and bars are still working in Moscow and other cities.

Moscow on Google map right now:

 

Sankt-Petersburg on Google map right now:

[Tomtravel]

You are optimistic.

Separately, authorities opened multiple cases against people accused of “participating in” or “running” the “LGBT movement.” In February, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported that, according to the Federal Security Service, a person already serving a prison sentence in Kemerovo region received an additional six-year prison sentence for participating in the “LGBT movement” and “involving” other prisoners in its activities.

In March, a doctor in Ulyanovsk region who faced a maximum punishment of one year in prison for alleged sexual coercion, was also prosecuted for “involving” the other man in the “LGBT movement,” and received a three-year sentence.

In December 2024, Andrei Kotov died by suicide in a pretrial detention center where he was held on charges of running an “extremist organization.” The authorities claimed Kotov’s company Men Travel, which sought to market tourist travel to gay men, was a “branch” of the LGBT movement.

[Moses]

52 minutes ago, Tomtravel said:

You are optimistic.

I'm lawyer.

You know what amazes me? How easily the Western average person can be brainwashed.

The country of Russia has always been homophobic at the everyday level. Simply because all the leading religions represented in Russia condemn same-sex relationships.

The state of Russia decriminalized same-sex relationships in 1993. And since then, nothing has changed in this regard. The changes in legislation affected gays in the part in which the state tried to prevent their participation as a separate force in political life.

And I have a question: why don't you notice that Western propaganda is deliberately demonizing Russia?

In Poland, at the state, official level, voivodeships and communities declare themselves "gay-free" and no one writes about it. Of course: a member of the EU and NATO.

In the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar - same-sex people are criminally prosecuted, but Western media are silent about this too, because these countries are business partners and suppliers of hydrocarbons.

And about Russia they write "nightmare-nightmare", although in the center of Moscow near the Kremlin walls there are gay clubs and saunas.

Can't guess why?

P.S. There are 44 countries in Europe, 47 countries are members of the Council of Europe. Of them only 34 countries recognize gay relation officially. Maybe Western world should care about that more, instead of demonizing Russia in propaganda?

[PeterRS]

38 minutes ago, Moses said:

The country of Russia has always been homophobic at the everyday level. Simply because all the leading religions represented in Russia condemn same-sex relationships.

Absolute nonsense! Homosexual relations were far from uncommon in pre-revolutionary Russia. In various articles on this Board I have stated that Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, his brother Modest, the impresario Diaghilev, his protege the greatest male dancer of all time Vaslav Nijinsky, varous choreographers like Leonid Massine were lovers of Diaghilev for some years, as was the famous scenery and costume designer Leon Bakst. Add to that list the artists Serge Sudeikin, Pavel Tchelitchew, Alexander (known better as Sascha) Schneider, Aleksandr Nikolayev and Konstantin Somov . . . Even Grand Duke Konstantin, grandson of Tsar Nicholas 1 and uncle of Tsar Nicholas II was gay. The history of the gay movement in St. Petersburg has been quite well documented.

Russians had for a century denied that its most famous composer Tchaikovsky was gay. Yet in 2013 Putin acknowledged on Russian State Channel 1 television that Tchaikovsky was gay and used that as proof that Russia is not anti-gay in spite of his new laws. As Putin stated - "Tchaikovsky was gay - although it's true that we don't love him because of that - but he was a great musician and we all love his music. So what?" Asked whether he would meet members of the gay and lesbian community, Putin said, "I assure you that I work with these people, I sometimes award them with state prizes."

So much for @Moses contention that Russia as a country has always been homophobic at the everyday level.

[Tomtravel]

Now you criticise the messenger, which usually upsets you („low intelligence and not educated“).

But the facts is that gay oriented travel agency owner was arrested for „running extremist organization“ and put to the detention facility where he died. 
 

Siam Roads would be in the eyes of Russian authorities an extremist organization and you obviously then extremist.

Gay clubs in Moscow must be running, where the FSB gay guys should go then? 

[Moses]

1 hour ago, Tomtravel said:

Siam Roads would be in the eyes of Russian authorities an extremist organization and you obviously then extremist.

Nope. Siamroads works in SE Asia. So, nobody cares.

[Moses]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

Absolute nonsense!

Dear, you are trying to teach me about Russia with "knowledges" implemented to you by Western propaganda. Why you distributing lies?

Same sex relation by centuries were crime in The Russian Empire's Criminal Code - included Article 995. The irony is what exactly Bolsheviks under Lenin rule decriminalized such relation with abolishing the Tsar's Criminal Codex. Late, under Stalin's regime relations were criminalized again and were in such state till 1993.

[Tomtravel]

9 minutes ago, Moses said:

Nope. Siamroads works in SE Asia. So, nobody cares.

The problem with Russia is missing rule of law; the prosecution and courts can take very unusual positions. Court leniency is mostly unheard of.

You running the siamroad from Russia may easily bring you to accountability as a resident of Russia.

[Moses]

5 minutes ago, Tomtravel said:

You running the siamroad from Russia may easily bring you to accountability as a resident of Russia.

Who said I'm running "from Russia"? Server is in Canada, so I'm running from Canada.

By the way: have you try to find word "gay" on Siamroads site? I'm sure - you didn't.

P.S. Kotov was prosecuted not because he had gay travel agency, but because he opened political club within LGBT clientele 

Right now bunch of such agencies are working here without problems. For example: https://atour-online.ru/countries/turtsiya/oteli-dlya-odinokih-muzhchin-v-turcii/ - quite large agency (use google translation) - tours for male travelers and nobody will ask you there about your orientation.

 

[KeepItReal]

Could we return to the topic of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? 

 

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/putins-sickening-statistic-1m-russian-casualties-in-ukraine-101748933301815.html

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/jun/22/one-million-and-counting-russian-casualties-hit-milestone-in-ukraine-war

 

[Moses]

4 minutes ago, KeepItReal said:

Could we return to the topic of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? 

 

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/putins-sickening-statistic-1m-russian-casualties-in-ukraine-101748933301815.html

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/jun/22/one-million-and-counting-russian-casualties-hit-milestone-in-ukraine-war

BBC: real number to May 2025 is 108.600

https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/16/bbc-and-mediazona-confirm-deaths-of-more-than-108-600-russian-soldiers-in-ukraine

[Moses]

17 minutes ago, Tomtravel said:

The problem with Russia is missing rule of law; the prosecution and courts can take very unusual positions.

Oh, dear. It is problem of planet Earth: why else decision or prosecutors and courts in US and views on Trump's, Biden's, Obama's actions depends on who is in power in White House?

[KeepItReal]

3 hours ago, Moses said:

BBC: real number to May 2025 is 108.600

https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/16/bbc-and-mediazona-confirm-deaths-of-more-than-108-600-russian-soldiers-in-ukraine

Here is the original article from the BBC.  

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yg4z6v600o

"So far, we have identified the names of 106,745 Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The true number is clearly much higher. Military experts estimate our number may cover between 45% and 65% of deaths, which would mean 164,223 to 237,211 people." 

 

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, Moses said:

Maybe Western world should care about that more, instead of demonizing Russia in propaganda?

correct, Russia demonizes herself very well just by her actions

[vinapu]

8 hours ago, Moses said:

 

A Russian man cannot get a government job if he does not have at least one of these documents: a master's degree, a doctor's degree, a certificate of registration with the military registration and enlistment office (only confirmation of registration), a military ID (this can be a confirmation of service, a confirmation of alternative service in hospitals or nursing homes, or a mark of unfitness for military service due to health).

 

...or knows somebody who know whom to bribe

[PeterRS]

5 hours ago, Moses said:

Dear, you are trying to teach me about Russia with "knowledges" implemented to you by Western propaganda. Why you distributing lies?

I hope you realise - or at least come to realise - that blaming everything on lies produced by western propaganda just falls on deaf ears here. So why repeat it ad nauseam? The more you repeat it, the less credible your arguments become.

[floridarob]

7 hours ago, Moses said:

Dear, you are trying to teach me about Russia with "knowledges" implemented to you by Western propaganda. Why you distributing lies?

Ah yes, the classic ‘everything I don’t like is Western propaganda’ line. Convenient, but it doesn’t erase reality. Russia’s economy is propped up by oil and gas sales while ordinary citizens struggle with inflation and lack of innovation. The government has imprisoned journalists, outlawed dissent, and even criminalized calling a war a war. That’s not Western spin, that’s documented fact — often by Russians themselves who risk their freedom to tell the truth.

If you have to dismiss all inconvenient facts as propaganda just to defend your position, maybe the problem isn’t the information — it’s the regime you’re trying to protect

[Moses]

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

while ordinary citizens struggle with inflation and lack of innovation

Inflation is covered by bank interest 20-24%

all innovations from iPhone to modern processors are still on market, the difference is - now we buying everything from abroad not directly but from UAE, Turkey, Chinese and other distributors, why else EU preparing already 19th wave of sanctions? just because they doesn't work

it is funny: German GDP growing is negative while growing of GDP of Russia under sanctions is greater than US GDP growing...

Russian international trade after 18 waves of sanctions still brings billions and Russian debt is lower than before and now is just 14% of GDP...

[vinapu]

12 minutes ago, Moses said:

Inflation is covered by bank interest 20-24%

 

right,  but that applies only who have savings  which likely  doesn't apply to lower half if that little

14 minutes ago, Moses said:

German GDP growing is negative while growing of GDP of Russia under sanctions is greater than US GDP growing...

.... Russian debt is lower than before and now is just 14% of GDP...

thank you for reminding me my youth when I travelled length of Soviet Union  and more or less heard the same  with ' no inflation here  " ' added. 

Still shelves were quite empty , specially when compared with those of recession stricken Germany and heavily indebted USA. When I pointed it out , my nice co-passengers had answer " stores in the West are full because working people don't have money to buy all that stuff "  and they seem to believe it.

Unfortunately they did not have good answer why there was widespread shortage of onions in whole country where onions can be grown up almost everywhere,  'thieves and speculators " was meek answer. Me , always nice cheered them up with telling truth " at least you have great cheese and ice cream ", that was area West was and hope still is, losing to Russia. At that is what counts as source of pride , not bombs, tanks and landmines.