Chris

The effect on conscripts and conscript families shouldn't be underestimated. It’s against the law for them to be deployed outside Russia and thus far these young, mostly unwilling men have avoided serious conflict. Now they’re on the front line, surrendering en masse, and Russia’s territorial defence is shown to be a chimera. That’s not to say Ukraine can or should (or even wants to) march on Moscow, but in terms of how Russians conceive of themselves and their government, it has to have an impact.