The news out of Ukraine is bad, not only for Ukrainians who’ve been forced to defend their nation from invading Russians but also for the Russian troops themselves. Their army keeps crumbling, even losing a top commander called “The Executioner” to a sniper’s bullet. Other military officials have had it with president Vladimir Putin. As for the troops, some are so desperate to flee that they’ve tried — and in some cases failed — to set up sham marriages to get out of duty.
As per The Daily Beast, Ukraine’s Secret Service intercepted a phonecall between one troop and his friend back home. Recognizing that the only way out was to “either be wounded or killed,” he’d come up with a new solution.
“I already f*cking told one of my [female] friends, ‘F*ck, go submit an application to [the marriage registration office]. I’ll f*cking tell them about it here,’” he said. But it was not to be “S*it, they said, no f*cking way, that’s not an option.”
He lamented, “Everyone here is trying any possible way [to get out] … but there’s no way.”
Some Russian troops have been caught sabotaging their own equipment or wounding themselves to get out of fighting in an ever-losing war. To make matters worse, temperatures are rising in Ukraine, and soldiers only have clothes made for winter, and there’s a shortage of water.
Meanwhile, Putin, with nothing close to a victory to show, is reportedly losing support of the nation’s top officials. Things aren’t so hot for one of his buddies: Russian state TV, which has been unfailingly propagandistic, has even turned on Donald Trump.
(Via The Daily Beast)