Russia Desperate for Military Recruits?

by Stephen Lendman

On most all major domestic and geopolitical issues, MSM feature fake news over the real thing.

According to Russian Public Chamber member, Yekaterina Mizulina, in late April:

"More than 5.8 million fakes have been detected" as part of US/Western infowar on Russia since its liberating SMO began.

Its "goals" include attempts "to use those fake reports, this disinformation, to conceal military crimes, killings of Donbass residents, killings of small children" by Ukrainian Nazified and conscript troops.

Vladimir Putin gave one example of US/Western fake news days earlier, saying:

"We are told…that we started the war in the Donbass, in Ukraine."

"No, it was started by the very same collective West which organized and supported an unconstitutional armed coup in Ukraine in 2014, and then encouraged and justified the genocide carried out against the people of the Donbass," adding:

Russia does "not reject peace talks."

But "the longer (conflict continues), the more difficult it will be for them to come to an agreement with us."

Along with other MSM, the NYT proliferates a daily torrent of fake news about Russia's SMO.

In its latest fake news edition, it reinvented reality as follows, claiming:

Russia "desperately…need(s) more soldiers (sic)."

A "stealth mobilization (is underway) to bring in new recruits (sic)."

What Times fake news falsely called a Russian military "manpower shortfall" is one among countless daily examples of its infowar rubbish about Russia's SMO.

And this Times rubbish:

"Citing the Washington-based right wing, forever war supporting Wilson Center, the Times falsely claimed that "Russia has a problem with recruitment and mobilization (sic)," adding:

"To make up the manpower shortfall (sic), the Kremlin is relying on a combination of impoverished ethnic minorities (sic), (Donbass freedom fighters), mercenaries (sic) and militarized National Guard units (sic)" for its SMO. 

Citing UK fake news, the Times defied reality, falsely claiming that "25,000" Russian forces were killed (sic), "tens of thousands more wounded (sic)."

And this Times rubbish:

"(T)he Kremlin…maintain(s) the fiction (sic) (that it's waging) a limited (SMO)."

And this Times perversion of reality:

Citing unnamed "analysts," it falsely claimed that Russia cannot continue its SMO "without a general mobilization (sic)."

Last week, I quoted Vladimir Putin's straight talk, saying:

"(W)e hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield."

"(E)veryone should know that, by and large, we have not started anything in earnest yet."

If Russia used the full might of its overpowering military strength, excluding nukes, its SMO could have achieved its aims in days, a few weeks at most.

Using a small fraction of its force strength against Ukrainian military targets alone — to protect civilians in harm's way and nonmilitary infrastructure — its SMO is proceeding cautiously.

And this Times fake news:

What "Ukraine…lacks in professional soldiers it compensates for in enthusiastic volunteers (sic)."

Its military is largely comprised of involuntary conscripts.

Countless numbers of Ukrainian youths fled the country to avoid becoming cannon fodder for the Nazified regime.

Its active duty troops are being relentlessly degraded and defeated.

Attrition from deaths, injuries, numbers surrendering or deserting their posts may approach a thousand daily.

And this Times trash — falsely claiming that DPR and LPR freedom fighters are Russian "conscripts (sic)," adding:

"(S)o the Kremlin is particularly cavalier about their casualties (sic), (unnamed) experts say (sic)."

"Some have been grabbed right off the streets (sic) and dispatched to the trenches with little or no training and vintage guns (sic)."

And this Times rubbish:

Russian and Donbass freedom fighters "are unlikely to contribute to a decisive" triumph by Moscow (sic), just "tactical advances (sic)."

All of the above and similar trash is what the self-styled newspaper of record calls "all the news that's fit to print" — no matter how fake and unfit to read.