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PaperclipPerfector  7d ago (text post)   33055 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025

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Ivan living in the formerly-decrepit Urals industrial town that's now a booming part of the war economy is seeing his income rise.

Ivan was drafted and is now dead.

Those who could fled the country, the final phase of the brain drain that Putin has been contributing to since the 90s, and entire towns of young men have been decimated thanks to this war.

If Ivan is dead, then who is making more shells and drones than the US or Europe?

The Russian draftees aren't the primary troops on the front they mostly do rear-area work. Russia has been pumping up soldier's wages looking for volunteers on the front. Ukraine is the side reliant on draftees to hold the line because they have more casualties and less manpower. Which is exactly what we'd expect in a war between a big country and a small country.

If Ivan is dead, then who is making more shells and drones than the US or Europe?

They make two types of drones: one is constructed with low-tech parts from Iran, the other are decoy drones made of plywood and foam. Both are cheap, easy to construct, and automated and thus require little manpower. Therefore, comparing drone output between Europe and Russia is pointless. US drone, and military, technology is vastly superior.

Those who could fled the country

"Laptop class" from big cities with passports and money, and large numbers of them since then returned, when they were less than welcomed in the West and their cash ran out. Thank NAFO types, well done.

Estimates vary widely as to how many people have returned, but it seems like as many as 50% of emigrants are still outside the country. This is a significant amount of people.

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