The news from Ukraine is that the Russians are flooding the war zone with hastily mobilized, poorly prepared, totally untrained reservists and conscripts. These troops are not equipped for combat, some even had to purchase their own uniforms and field kit and only have access to old or worn-out gear.. Often they are not even issued weapons or ammunition. There are reports of convicts, sick men, all sorts of questionable individuals being rounded up and dumped at the front. No effort seems to be made to utilize them in non-combatant support roles, or training in the field. Some of these reports may be dismissed as Ukrainian propaganda, but these stories are now so ubiquitous that it is obvious there must be some truth to them.

This makes no sense. What could the Russians be up to? Granted, even warm bodies can be useful, as porters, trench diggers, truck drivers, etc, releasing more trained troops for combat duty. But it is clear from these reports that that there is something else at play here. Its hard to believe the Russian command is so incompetent that it is doing this, placing green troops (which still consume resources and must be supplied, sheltered, transported) in places where there is no mission for them and where they will just get in the way. Could the Russian command be this incompetent, this corrupt? Or is there some other, more sinister purpose here and I’m just missing it.

I’m reminded of the old Soviet penal battalions which were forced to march into enemy fire to reveal the positions of the enemy, or to clear mine fields. But in today’s maneuver battlefield, I don’t think this tactic makes much sense.

And what happens in winter? Or in the confusion of battle? Who will shelter and move these men out of the combat zone where they will just get in the way? I keep on thinking about the logic behind this, but I’ll be damned if I can figure it out.