There are many ways to do it

In the queue of about 130 people, only 20 are male. Men aged 18-60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine unless they qualify for an exemption. Four of those waiting are young lads who look close to turning 18. To avoid the risk of mobilisation, they must leave before then. Of course, some men find ways to get out anyway, legally or illegally. On August 11th President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he was sacking the heads of the country’s regional military recruitment centres, where officials were alleged to be selling travel permits for up to $10,000. “Bribery during war is treason,” Mr Zelensky railed.

In the initial period after the invasion most men trying to get across were driven by fear, says Colonel Trachuk. Now she reckons half are looking for work. But those trying to escape military service must live at risk of being apprehended by recruitment officers and press-ganged. At the beginning of the invasion Ivan, a 42-year-old musician in Uzhhorod, contemplated enlisting, but changed his mind when he saw coffins arriving. Now, he says, he is in constant fear of being called up: “I feel like I am hanging in the air.”

      • AngrilyEatingMuffins@kbin.social
        101·
        1 year ago

        You’ve never heard of partisans? Voluntary military association? America is an all volunteer army and will be so for the next forever.

          • AngrilyEatingMuffins@kbin.social
            1·
            1 year ago

            It’ll never come down to it is the point. An all volunteer army is so much more effective that America has, by far, the most powerful military but it’s not close to the largest. Very little, if anything, is actually gained by conscription if you have a functioning volunteer force of sufficient size. How is feeding, clothing, housing, training and equipping a ton of people who don’t want to be there logistically beneficial to a military? Short answer is that it’s not.

        • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
          11·
          1 year ago

          The US had a draft 50 years ago for a war on the other side of the planet. Have countries successfully defend themselves against invasion with volunteer forces?

          I like the ideal but I live in a shitty cold world where sometimes you have to defend yourself, so I wonder how that would actually work.

          FYI I didn’t forgotdownvote ya

          • BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tfEnglish
            11·
            1 year ago

            Countries only exist as far as their constituency believes in them. If they can’t drum up enough of an army to defend themselves voluntarily, then they obviously haven’t done enough for that constituency that they see a threat to the nation as a threat to themselves. You ever wonder why guerrillas rarely run out of fighters or supplies? They inspire the people. They do things for the people, instead of to them. They don’t use war as an excuse to strip rights or privatize public infrastructure, they don’t put you in prison for not wanting to fight. They fight for you, and in taking direct, tangible material actions that help the people, they ensure their continued usefulness to, and thus support by, the people.

            Why anyone would fight for a modern nation state in any situation is beyond me.

        • ExLisper@linux.communityEnglish
          34·
          1 year ago

          Yeah, for the next forever or until is needed AGAIN. Military service is same as paying taxes. Country provides you protection, services and infrastructure but not for free. If you disagree you’re free to go live in Somalia.

      • Deceptichum@kbin.social
        1610·
        1 year ago

        It’s the typical Hexbear experience. You should be family with how shit the community is being part of it yourself.

        • slice1@lemmy.ml
          85·
          1 year ago

          To be fair - two comrads from hexbear called them out. This does not happen with all the warmongering liberals on other sites/instances. I am happy hexbear is here! Also, I think it was a failed attempt to be sarcastic.

          • Deceptichum@kbin.social
            612·
            1 year ago

            One called them our, the other basically said “shh don’t do it publicly”.

            Also are you fucking kidding me? Hexbear are warmongering authies.

            • slice1@lemmy.ml
              113·
              1 year ago

              Did you ever browse hexbear? I never saw a video of war footage with comments cheering on the death of the “other team” on hexbear … unlike the numerous posts on reddit, sopuli.xyz, lemmy.world, etc.

              • ahornsirup@artemis.camp
                36·
                1 year ago

                I did. Explicitly cheering for Ukrainian deaths or not, they support the invasion, which means they support murdering Ukrainians by default. You can’t have it both ways, if you support Russia, you support the murder of Ukrainians.

                • slice1@lemmy.ml
                  61·
                  1 year ago

                  Ah yes - the good old “default”. You seem full of prejudice. It is a big difference to be against the expansion of imperialism and nato, against the suffering of workers versus cheering on weapon deliveries and death. You are wrong - you can have it both ways. There is no good side in this war. Both are corrupt oligarchies full of caucasian (orthodox) christians that seem to like to plunder workers and lands. Sprinkle some of US geopolitics on it and you get what we currently have: we, the majority of the population, pays the price through inflation and death.