7 comments

  • marcus_holmes 5 minutes ago
    People who actually know about the Ukrainian war are countering the idea that Ukraine is running out of men: https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/the-fewer-soldiers-on...

    As they point out: "... the issue of Ukraine’s supposed manpower crisis. This idea has been a key part of the analysis for more than two years now, analysis saying Ukraine was on the verge of military failure."

    The Ukrainians are adapting their battle tactics and use of drones to reduce their casualties. The Russians are not, and are suffering huge casualties as a result. Yet no-one is saying the Russian invasion is doomed because they're going to run out of young men.

  • netsharc 1 hour ago
    > Private fertility clinics began offering what's known as crypto preservation to servicemen and women in 2022 at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

    I'm pretty certain it's "cryo" and not "crypto". Am I wrong, or has the BBC's standards slipped so badly?

    • giantg2 49 minutes ago
      Genetics live in the block chain now
    • copperx 55 minutes ago
      I assumed the servicemen's identities were obfuscated.
  • fhdkweig 1 hour ago
    The United States military was apparently interested in the idea in a 2022 article, although I can't find any recent information on it.

    https://qz.com/610131/the-us-military-will-pay-for-soldiers-...

    https://www.progress.org.uk/us-military-to-offer-egg-and-spe...

  • powerpcmac 50 minutes ago
    Here's how Ukraine can still win
  • notepad0x90 1 hour ago
    what is the point? genetic diversity? women and the length of pregnancy is the limiting bottleneck. Men can have kids very late, and from what I heard, only a certain top percentage of sperm donors' products get picked.
    • crazygringo 11 minutes ago
      The headline is misleading.

      It's simply so now-widows can have another child (or two) with their late husband.

      It's motivation for the soldiers -- even if you don't make it, you can still have another child after your death, and in that way you'll live on.

    • coryrc 18 minutes ago
      Russians torture and mutilate their prisoners. If they get caught, they likely will not be returned with their gonads intact.

      Is this a war crime? Yes. Is the rest of world letting it happen or actively abetting? It is!

    • roysting 1 hour ago
      It might even just be a cynical motivation to with zero actual intent on using it. Men under pressure to be thrown into the meat grinder will be more encouraged and motivated if they believe their legacy can continue even without what they know is a death sentence.
      • eaglelamp 37 minutes ago
        > The politicians' initial efforts caused a public outcry though, when they stipulated that all samples should be destroyed on a donor's death.

        Looks like you're right.

      • copperx 54 minutes ago
        A cheap morale booster.
    • ars 1 hour ago
      No, the bottleneck is the desire to have children. Unless you are planning to force the women, you need policies (such as these) that encourage them to want children.
    • dismalaf 1 hour ago
      Maybe Ukrainian women want to have kids with their partners who are soldiers? Morale boost, probably a higher willingness to fight to the possible death if you know there's a chance your genes will survive...

      It's about more than simply having anyone's children...

    • rngfnby 1 hour ago
      There will be a million women without mates by the end of this war.

      Its a crude solution that is deemed more acceptable than polygamy or, shudder the thought, peace negotiations.

      • jmye 58 minutes ago
        So easy to demand they cede territory for “peace” from your couch in Austin. But hey, I get it. Breitbart said they should.
        • constrictyuslf 46 minutes ago
          Some ukarians would probably prefer to be on a couch too, even if it's West of the donbass, but not like they have a choice about martial law or conscription or the suspension of voting, but hey just some details right?
          • atmavatar 14 minutes ago
            Ceding territory to end the war will surely fix the problem. That worked out well with Crimea, after all.
        • rngfnby 55 minutes ago
          Why not let Ukrainians decide if they want to take land? Have elections. A referendum.
          • jmye 52 minutes ago
            yawn More obvious bullshit and agitprop. You’re not fooling anyone.
  • SanjayMehta 1 hour ago
    [flagged]
    • whynotmaybe 1 hour ago
      Interesting choice of word to describe a country trying to survive against an aggressor that started the war
      • freefrog334433 1 hour ago
        The civil war began in 2014, after the Maidan coup. Donesk was shelled for 8 years by the Ukrainians.
        • dralley 1 hour ago
          It's not a civil war if it was started by Russian special forces and continued with Russian soldiers, "advisors" and weapons.

          It was far closer to an actual invasion than it was to any form of uprising.

        • mint5 54 minutes ago
          That sure is a peculiar way to talk about the large number of clandestine Russian troops that were sent into donesk to take it over in 2014.
        • minihoster 55 minutes ago
          Yeah and the rebels just found those T-72B3 tanks in storage somewhere. lmfao
      • jesterson 1 hour ago
        Interesting choice of words to reduce complicated conflict to a black and white situation.

        You forgot to add "unprovoked aggression" to fully regurgitate mass media cliches.

        • netsharc 1 hour ago
          Pray tell, why is it "complicated"? And what's the situation behind the cliche that you're "more educated" in?
        • whynotmaybe 33 minutes ago
          Colour me as old fashion but in my book when a country invades another, it's an aggression.

          Especially when the one that started it seems inclined to target civilians that they supposedly want to help. Unless you also consider this a "mass media cliché".

  • dyauspitr 1 hour ago
    What a waste of life. Why hasn’t someone taken out Putin, is it really that hard? It can’t possibly be that hard for a state.
    • SanjayMehta 5 minutes ago
      Funny how my comment on how this article is evidence that The Ukraine is winning gets disappeared but calling for the assassination of a nuclear superpower's president is acceptable.

      Hypocrisy News.

    • ars 1 hour ago
      A state can do it, but it might fail, and the result of a failure would be a catastrophe so everyone is very cautious.
      • SanjayMehta 4 minutes ago
        Only the US and Europe stoop this low.
    • rngfnby 59 minutes ago
      And then you get Medvedev. His finger is so itchy for the red button he has to rub it with vagisil.

      At a certain point we have to understand that Putin is about the most pro-Western person left in Russia.

      • GolfPopper 32 minutes ago
        >Putin is about the most pro-Western person left in Russia.

        Appearing more sane than Putin while simultaneously being in a position to plausibly serve as Putin's successor is likely to be fatal.

    • subjectsigma 1 hour ago
      Ok sure, you go try it! Just remember that even if you succeed, the consequences may be everyone you know and love dying in nuclear fire.
    • wonderwonder 38 minutes ago
      You think the war ends if they kill Putin? Medvedev would very likely nuke Kiev 30 minutes later.
      • dyauspitr 28 minutes ago
        I seriously doubt it. You have to be absolutely bonkers to start nuclear war over one person. Russia is insane but not suicidal.
    • jesterson 1 hour ago
      [flagged]
      • dismalaf 1 hour ago
        Zelenskyy could die tomorrow and Ukraine would keep fighting. Your brain's been melted by Russian propaganda.
        • mint5 57 minutes ago
          This post’s comments has seen a special military operation or something, it’s straight up Soviet radio in here
          • minihoster 53 minutes ago
            big uptick in authoritarian bootlicking in this place unfortunately
        • rngfnby 57 minutes ago
          Who walked away from the Istanbul offer and killed their negotiating team? There's no better outcome for Ukraine than that offer, plus a million dead.

          Thank you Boris Johnson.

        • jesterson 1 hour ago
          > Zelenskyy could die tomorrow and Ukraine would keep fighting

          That's your delusion and it has nothing to do with reality. Take out their army "recruiters" grabbing and beating people on streets, and there will be noone to fight anymore. No need even to take out zelenski.

          > Your brain's been melted by Russian propaganda.

          How predictable lol. So happy your "brain" is not melted by anything.

          • fhdkweig 57 minutes ago
            The Ukraine conscription age is 25. If they were desperate for soldiers it would be lowered. It was 18 for the United States in the Vietnam war. Definitely wouldn't be grabbing people off the streets.
          • jmye 56 minutes ago
            > Take out their army "recruiters" grabbing and beating people on streets

            He says, and then unironically whines about being called propaganda.

    • technate4eva 1 hour ago
      [flagged]
    • brandonmenc 1 hour ago
      Yes, it is difficult to take out the leader of a world nuclear world power.

      Especially one as shrewd as Putin. Especially when you're expecting the EU to do it. Not sure why this is a surprise.

      The world is not an action film.

      • rngfnby 51 minutes ago
        This.

        Never mind that they tried a month ago with the drone attacks.

        How would this work exactly? The most protected person in the world, thousands of km from hostile borders, in the city with the world best AD surrounded, by bureaucrats who, if anything, think Putin is too soft on the West.

        • SanjayMehta 2 minutes ago
          And what happened? They poked the bear and it turned their electricity grid off. Something NATO would have done in the first 4 hours, not take 4 years.