Ex-mormon superstar

1/ Russian soldiers are having to sue military hospitals to prove that they were injured in combat, so that they can receive the compensation payments they were promised. It highlights how the Russian state's bureaucracy is continuing to harm its own soldiers. ⬇️

1/ Nearly five times more Russians died fighting in the Syrian civil war than officially acknowledged, according to a new analysis. Journalists have established the deaths of at least 543 men, the majority of whom were Wagner mercenary fighters. ⬇️

1/ The political officer of a Russian regiment was kidnapped and tortured by his own commanders after discovering that they were involved in drug smuggling and reselling humanitarian aid, fuel and even weapons. The case illustrates rampant corruption in the Russian army. ⬇️

1/ Russia's worsening economic problems are causing Russian pharmaceutical manufacturers to abandon production of some medications, due to fixed prices making it unaffordable. The country is now reportedly short of 20 million units of saline solution, a vital medication. ⬇️

1/ The two oil tankers that have sunk in the Kerch Strait were specialised but obsolete river-sea vessels that should not have been operating at all, according to Russian sources. They were supposed to have ceased operating at sea in 2008 under Russian and international regulations. ⬇️

1/ Many Russian commentators feel the loss of Syria deeply because it was a "kind of symbol of the glory of Russian weapons," according to a lament published by a prominent Russian war blogger. "It is not yet clear what will happen to this symbol," he adds gloomily. ⬇️

1/ Russian forces in Syria are reportedly cut off and surrounded in several locations. It's not clear how many are still in the country, but it's likely that they will need the assistance of the victorious rebels and Turkey to evacuate fully. ⬇️

1/ Russia's 810th Marine Brigade is reported to be suffering huge casualties as it attempts to recapture the Kursk region, with a thousand of its men reported missing in October 2024 alone. Commanders are being accused of 'murdering' their troops. ⬇️

1/ Due to an ongoing ban on the use of personally owned vehicles by Russian soldiers, wounded soldiers are now reportedly having to call taxis to be evacuated from the front line in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine. ⬇️

1/ The Russian army is reported to have come up with a new way of saving costs: it is forcing mobilised soldiers to sign contracts, which means they do not have to be paid as much if they are not on the front line. ⬇️

1/ A useful corrective thought from the Russian military analyst Alexey Sukonkin on the ineffectiveness of using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine: "If we are talking about a single nuclear strike of 'tactical power', then we should understand that, …

This is what it looks like when a #bot script malfunctions. The original post is fed to an #AI, telling it to take an opposing political position. In this case the OP was not political, so the AI could not take an opposing view. Whoever runs the script didn't check for this failure condition.

1/ Russia is reportedly spending at least 10 billion rubles ($99 million) to build a massive defensive system in the Kursk region, having already spent 3 billion rubles ($29.7 million) to build defences that comprehensively failed to keep out the Ukrainians. ⬇️

1/ Injured Russian soldiers are being sent into assaults on crutches, are ordered to kill their own wounded on the battlefield to prevent them holding up attacks, and are attacked by their own side's drones if they do not continue moving forward, according to two eyewitnesses. ⬇️

1/ Injury payments for Russian soldiers injured in the Ukraine war have been reduced by as much as 96.6% under a new decree by Putin. The decree went into force today only hours after it was published. The move is likely intended to reduce Russia's massive compensation costs. ⬇️

1/ Russia's Wagner Group reportedly operated a unit manned by people with chronic or terminal illnesses, who were used as "moving targets" to identify Ukrainian firing points. The 'Umbrella' unit is said to have formed a separate force within the wider Wagner Group. ⬇️

1/ Russian military authorities are reported to have rescued 17 soldiers from their own commander, who was holding them prisoner, torturing them and stealing their salaries. Other soldiers are said to have been murdered, with their deaths covered up by compliant medics. ⬇️

One less

Brain damage

Karma

1/ Police and vigilante groups in Russia's regions are reportedly sweeping up young people, migrants and seasonal revellers to induce them to sign military contracts, in an attempt to address huge shortfalls in the numbers of those willing to go to war in Ukraine. ⬇️

Barbaric

Great news. Good for Ukraine and for those Russian soldiersm

Good

1/ Russian arms exports have collapsed by 92% between 2021 and 2024, according to a Russian defence policy expert. While the drop has enabled Russia to focus production on its own needs, Russia's arms industry needs the war to end so that it can resume earning hard currency. ⬇️

1/ Incompetence by Russian commanders is reported to have led to the deaths of Russian special forces operators, likely including UAV pilots, in areas of north-west Syria that have been overrun by rebels. ⬇️

1/ The commander of the Russian 13th Guards Tank Regiment is reported to have been arrested along with several of his subordinates for extorting tens of millions of rubles, tooth veneers, and other material goods from soldiers under his command in the 'Luhansk People's Republic'. ⬇️

1/ Russia is throwing scarce specialist troops into bloody 'meat assaults' made necessary by commanders' false claims to have captured areas that are still held by Ukrainian forces, according to a Russian officer. ⬇️

1/ A ban on the use of personally owned vehicles means that Russian soldiers are now hiding their vehicles from commanders and using bicycles to travel to frontline positions, carry ammunition and travel to meetings, according to Russian milbloggers. ⬇️

1/ Russian military transportation in Ukraine is reported to have ground to a halt, due to an initiative to confiscate privately-owned vehicles after a spate of drunken accidents. As many as 96% of light vehicles used by soldiers are said to be personally owned or donated. ⬇️

1/ Several Russian soldiers are to be tried for the torture and mass murder of at least seven of their comrades in occupied Ukraine, allegedly on the orders of the commander of the 6th Motorised Rifle Division, Major General Marat Ospanov. ⬇️

@canuckaussie.bsky.social Can I see your seer stone and hat? What hats do you find get the best reception and fewest temporary commandments?

I made a video of my son that went moderately viral as a gif representing rofl.

Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #2,144,245!