It is extraordinary to linger on the thought that Russia is very close to reaching 1,000,000 casualties in its stupid and barbaric war on Ukraine, of which 250k are deaths.* Its devastating war in Afghanistan cost around 14k lives. *This was confirmed to me by official sources in past few days. - ThreadSky

snellarthur.bsky.social • 9 days ago

It is extraordinary to linger on the thought that Russia is very close to reaching 1,000,000 casualties in its stupid and barbaric war on Ukraine, of which 250k are deaths.*

Its devastating war in Afghanistan cost around 14k lives.

*This was confirmed to me by official sources in past few days.

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ruthshaw.bsky.social•9 days ago

I had to do a double take on the number of casualties. Utterly depressing.

equiton.net•9 days ago

Putin has a Stalinesque attitude to the Ukraine war. And it shows.

snellarthur.bsky.social•9 days ago

Just to be clear (reason of space etc) the Soviet - Afghan war cost around 15k *Soviet* lives, as well as many more Afghans.

dustinducane.bsky.social•9 days ago

Russia is a lot richer and hates its people more than late stage USSR.

greygosling.bsky.social•9 days ago

I think these comparisons with Afghan, Chechnya etc are now pretty outdated. 250k dead at the top end is coming up for 50% of low end estimates of Russian empire WW1 dead, if you pro-rate them for the larger popn in 1914. Although admittedly miles off the high end WW1 estimates, it's still insane.

snellarthur.bsky.social•9 days ago

Clearly in one sense it's not comparable because Afghanistan didn't involve the kind of trench warfare which is taking so many lives in Eastern Ukraine. But in the sense of how a country responds to such a tragedy it seems to suggest that indifference to civilian casualties has increased over time.

greygosling.bsky.social•9 days ago

Well yes, it must have, but 50% of WW1 suggests the capacity to keep mobilising might well be more limited than we all think.

jameselder.bsky.social•9 days ago

I guess a certain proportion of the Soviet lives lost in Afghanistan will have been Ukrainian.

snellarthur.bsky.social•9 days ago

Indeed - about 3000 according to Zelenskyy

gargarin.bsky.social•9 days ago

1 in 144 off the population (I think my maths are right) so most people will know someone who's died/injured (obv poorer folk will know more) presume there's not ceremonies like in Wooton Basset , but hard not to believe not widely known across country.

brokenmarrow.bsky.social•9 days ago

Russia: elderly sociopath trying to fill the infinite void where his soul should be.

America: elderly sociopath trying to fill the infinite void where his soul should be.

jerrysfinger.bsky.social•9 days ago

Do most of the dead come from the remote regions of the Russian Empire? What sort of payments do families of the dead get? And is it relatively large? And yes Putin would seem to have a Stalin like view on killing his own people.

iamnicksimpson.bsky.social•9 days ago

Have you listened to The Wargame yet Arthur?

Any thoughts?

snellarthur.bsky.social•9 days ago

Just started. Prob too early to pass judgement but my initial thought was that it’s much more likely to hit Estonia than the UK

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