Originally Posted by
Tartiflette Fan
Well, although I didn't directly pose the question, I am wondering about the numbers. In all the discussions about the war I am certain that the number 900 000 has been quoted, but I don't recall if that was the Russian Army or total armed forces. In either case, it means that if the current class of recruits isn't discharged, then there is going to be an increase of over 10% in the army. Does anybody believe that any army could deal with that kind of influx over just three months ? This must mean further turmoil in the Russian Army at a time when they absolutely don't need it. On the other hand if the current conscripts are discharged, then there are going to be tens of thousands who will undoubtedly have heard from other recruits/transfers/rumours about the war, or actually been there themselves. They will spread out across Russia and obviously tell their families and friends. Whatever truth they choose to tell will undoubtedly be believed 100% and it probably won't match the Kremlin line.
This could potentially start an upsurge of public resentment against Putin/the war.
I doubt if any the current batch of conscripts that are serving in Ukraine will be discharged as they do not officially exist. Early on in the war, IIRC, Putin claimed that no conscripts were serving in Ukraine, so if they are there, they are by definition no longer conscripts. Those that still survive have either been sent back to Mother Russia or they have been signed on as contract soldiers, whether they know it or not. You can decide which is the most likely.