Not only Ukraine, Russia is also hurting badly for new recruits. The people on the front for Russia come mostly from impoverished rural areas and they’re running out of cannon fodder from the farms. Ukraine is racking up the body count, sometimes thousands per day.
After putin’s last “reelection” he refused to expand his mobilization as he doesn’t want to dip into the urban centers around St. Pete and Moscow. Putin is a maniac but he understands his support lies with his oligarchs and is centered mostly in urban areas. If he starts pulling people from the street in Moscow and St. Petersburg his support will errode and his power will be compromised.
Putin is a coward. He doesn’t want to get pushed out a window himself so he needs to keep his rich patrons relatively happy. Conscripting the urban elite doesn’t align with his strategy, risks compromising his support, and could ultimately lead to his downfall.
That said even the urban elite are growing suspicious of the regime. Drone attacks in your capital will do that to you. Some of his mercenary units have also started showing signs of discontent. Puttie is walking a thin line and is in desperate need of new recruits as the recent news from DPRK highlights. Hopefully this thin line leads to his death, very soon.
Tony Hinchcliffe is not funny. Watched his podcast for a while then totally abandoned it because I realized I wasn’t laughing during most episodes. It’s mostly seasoned comics taking cheap shots at amateurs and then saying some racist shit while they all laugh and no one in the audience does. His nasally voice is annoying as fuck and hitching his wagon to the trump train seems pretty on brand for that fuckwit. His comedy brand caters to the same people who really like Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, both regulars on the podcast. Shocking I know.