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"I’m beginning to understand that we’re not on the right side" - Russian soldiers who surrendered say morale on the Russian side is very low (web.archive.org)

submitted 1 year ago by 0x815@feddit.de to c/news@beehaw.org

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One captured Russian soldier says he worries about what will happen if he is returned to Russia in a prisoner swap. “If I have the opportunity, I’ll refuse to be exchanged." Another fighter reported that a doctor declared him unfit for combat after he was wounded in March, but his commander ordered him back to the front.

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[–] cloaker@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (3 children)

How can they just barely begin to understand this. I know the propaganda machine goes hard but not that hard

[–] lemillionsocks@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

It's easy to be skeptical of propaganda from the outside looking in, but once your immersed in it then it can be difficult to parse out reality from fiction.

Case in point look at shockingly large percentage of americans, many even from the north, who will argue the civil war was a matter of states rights. Hell the US went to war against Iraq and it initially had strong support because we were still reeling from 9/11.

It's important to always keep in mind that NOBODY is immune to propoganda or group think, nobody is above the narrative, and the people who think they are tend to be particularly vulnerable.

[–] 0x815@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

History has been teaching us painfully often how quick people give up their individual believes for the sake of a centralised propaganda machine. It'd be very dangerous to think we are immune to it imho.

[–] SugarApplePie@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Propaganda is pretty effective no matter where you are in the world. It's why many soldiers can do horrible shit to civilians in occupied territory and only later realize that they did something terrible. Here's hoping we start hearing about Russian mutinies from more soldiers with similar realizations.

[–] nmac101@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have a Russian friend and no matter what, i can't make him understand he is believing in propaganda. He says he wouldn't want to betray his whole family. I hope someday he understands.

[–] Ragos81@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago

I know exactly what you mean. I live since 10 years in #China and it is unbelievable what people think when they have no access to independent news. Even if they got access after some time, they're not going to believe it, because it's so different from what they got thought the reality is.