The Russian Military’s People Problem
It’s Hard for Moscow to Win While Mistreating Its Soldiers
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/2022-05-18/russian-militarys-people-problem
The Russian military’s disregard for its soldiers has done more than undermine their combat performance. It has also tanked their morale and will to fight. Officers steal the contents of care packages so routinely that some soldiers have called their mothers and told them not to bother sending anything. Officials forget to pay soldiers their entitled combat pay, and units abandon the bodies of the fallen. It is little wonder, then, that some Russian troops simply melted away from the conflict, deserting fully functional modernized equipment in Ukrainian fields. Other soldiers have called their mothers to tell them they were considering shooting themselves in the leg so they could leave.
ロシア軍の兵士軽視は、兵士の戦闘能力を低下させるだけでなく、兵士の士気や戦意をも低下させている。兵士の士気も戦意も低下させた。兵士の中には、母親に電話して「わざわざ何も送らないでくれ」と言う者もいるほど、将校は日常的にケアパッケージの中身を盗んでいる。役人は兵士に支給される戦闘手当を払い忘れ、部隊は戦死者の遺体を放置している。そのため、ロシア軍の中には、ウクライナの野原に近代化されたフル機能の装備を捨てて、紛争からただ逃げ出す者もいる。また、「自分の足を撃って逃げようかと考えている」と母親に電話する兵士もいる。
