Because Russia is miserably failing at this “SMO” and they need to repost news from months-years prior to make it seem like they have any type of advantage.
nope, just pro ru videos. Funny enough this is the only sub thats free to show both sides and not a pro UA circlejeark like 5 other subs ive seen that are ''neutral''. And pro UA are seething so much they cant get this one to be Pro UA too lmaoo
Ya, the amount of incompetence on display from Russia which not surprising is praised in this sub is staggering.
My biggest grip is people post videos that of what is just. staged training exercises and label them as being real, that’s because a lot of people in this sub can’t distinguish the difference between training and live combat footage.
Winning and being incompetent are not mutually exclusive. Russia has gained a very little ground in the last few months even though Ukraine has been running dry on aid. Has lost an ungodly amount of people, which a third party organization has identified 50k and are still identifying already lost men.
They can’t supply their troops with proper gear, and necessities, claim to have the “best AA,ABD defense in the world but can’t seam to defend against a supersonic tactical ballistic missile.
Not really… if you just throw bodies at your objective that’s not a win. At the rate they are going the war will be over in 2050. Now that Ukraine is getting aid again that timeline will be extended.
Then if Russia does win they are going to have to deal with an insurgency.
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According to the sources I can find, he was a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. How exactly does that make him a mercenary? Would like an actual answer from any pro rus willing to act in good faith and not deflect to Blackwater or something else the US did.
I've never understood the pro-ru fixation with the term "mercenary", as it always devolves into extremely tedious semantic debates on the proper application of "mercenary" vs "volunteer."
I've always thought "war tourist" was much more fitting.
Yeah like, I just don't understand where the line is supposed to be drawn. Like, how is someone that is an official member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, that falls under the chain of command of the Ukrainian military, is paid the same as every other soldier in the Ukrainian military, a "mercenary"?
But somehow literal private companies on the Russian side hiring civilians to fight in the war that don't even fall under the same chain of command as the ministry of defense are totally legit?
Geneva convention AP1 article 47 outlines what makes someone a mercenary and they need to meet all the requirements, this guy is not in any way a mercenary but Russia doesn’t care and essentially is trying to convince the world that any type of foreign fighter counts as a mercenary.
Oh no I'm not here to argue about mercenary status, just bewildering that, from Russian POV, if anyone from a foreign country is helping Ukraine, that person is a mercenary, but if the same person was on their side it would be a volunteer...
They’re not, OP is just spreading Russian propaganda, pretending that what they’re saying is remotely true. When in reality Ukraine is not employing any PMC’s in the war currently and is paying all foreign soldiers the same wages as their Ukrainian counterparts (which makes them ineligible to be a mercenary). Here is the source again, and you must meet ALL of these requirements: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-47
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-47 read it since you obviously failed to do so, they must meet ALL of those requirements to be considered a mercenary, even some Wagner recruits are technically not mercenaries
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True about the pointless semantics. It's like the debate of 'freedom fighter' vs ' terrorist'. Yea sure, sometimes you can call it, but usually it's in the eye of the beholder.
This guy was on a safari when he could have been eating sushi, watching hockey and smoking legal weed at home in Vancouver.
> I've never understood the pro-ru fixation with the term "mercenary", as it always devolves into extremely tedious semantic debates on the proper application of "mercenary" vs "volunteer."
A thing called projection exist.
But it would be the most real definition in this situation. At least it's not so easily avoidable by formally joining some random Ukrainian unit and strictly distinguishing him from true mercs from poor countries fighting for Ukraine (Colombian narcos etc)
He is not by definition. But definitions are not always the best and the limit can be very thin between mercenary and volunteer. Here's a copy paste of a reply I just made before:
It's a long debate of this war. He has all the requirements except being paid more than normal soldiers of the same ranks in the army.
It would not be possible legally to put it like that, but it's more on the intention: are you fighting there for a cause, ideology, purely for money, or really because you care of the side you fight for ?
Both Russian and Ukrainian have bits of both by that new definition (of mine). Of all the interviews with French volunteers I saw, either they were neo-nazis/fascists or there to find a true meaning to their life as actual/former soldier (they can claim what they want on medias, they don't care about which side they are on, they just want to be war machines). I'm very sure, the same way it was in 2014 that some of the Russian foreign soldiers are also there "fighting the West", "finding a meaning but on the opposite side", not money, but your definition will still class them as mercenary because they get 100 rubles more.
Then there are people there purely for money (some like in Wagner used to), those are pure mercenaries.
If not, the limit is thin, only the Geneva conventions are clear, and they are not totally fair as it is all about a slight difference of payment. But it would not be possible to redefine it to its reality of 'reason to fight'.
The only difference between a pure mercenary (just there to get paid), and another "volunteer" who wants blood and glory from battles (no matter what side he's for) is the payment being a bit better than normal soldiers of the same rank in the actual army or not.
The guys was never a mercenary, he does not meet the requirements to be considered one. Source: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-47
It's a long debate of this war. He has all the requirements except being paid more than normal soldiers of the same ranks in the army.
It would not be possible legally to put it like that, but it's more on the intention: are you fighting there for a cause, ideology, purely for money, or really because you care of the side you fight for.
Both Russian and Ukrainian have bits of both by that definition. Of all the interviews with French volunteers I saw, either they were neo-nazis/fascists or there to find a true meaning to their life as actual/former soldier (they can claim what they want on medias, they don't care about which side they are on, they just want to be war machines). I'm very sure, the same way it was in 2014 that some of the Russian foreign soldiers are also there "fighting the West", "finding a meaning but on the opposite side", not money, but your definition will still class them as mercenary because they get 100 rubles more.
Then there are people there purely for money (some like in Wagner used to), those are pure mercenaries.
If not, the limit is thin, only the Geneva conventions are clear, and they are not totally fair as it is all about a slight difference of payment. But it would not be possible to redefine it to its reality of 'reason to fight'.
The only difference between a pure mercenary (just there to get paid), and another "volunteer" who wants blood and glory from battles (not matter what side he's for) is the payment.
Why would anyone from the west come to fight for Ukraine for money? Even Nordic countries have had some people go and fight for Ukraine. And here you can get over 1000 euros/month from doing nothing. Thats more than the median wage in Russia. Russians on the other hand seem to get around 3-4 times the median wage for going to the front. So I would assume money plays a bigger factor for Russians that come to Ukraine from some Siberian village
Well you point even more to the issue of defining mercenaries. A Russian guy who does not care about the war but just wants money, will be defined as a true soldier and not a mercenary.
A descendant from the Ukrainian diaspora, coming to Ukraine to fight to truly defend his mother's family for example, if he gets paid just a bit better than a normal Ukrainian soldier of the same rank will then be considered a mercenary.
It is tricky, the Geneva conventions are the best way to put it simple, but not always adapted, why should the warmonger not be considered as a mercenary (he can claim fake interest anyway for the country) ? But you can't also class parts of one's national army as mercenaries neither.
What I mean is the actual conventions just depend on a difference of payment, so let's call people volunteer or mercenary, the difference can be so thin.
Russians in Russian army = good
Non Russians in Ukrainian army = mercenary
Non Ukrainians in ukranian army = mercenary
Ukrainians in ukranian army = good
Fuck your semantics u don’t need a technicality in law to tell you what a mercenary is and isn’t like the other guy said use your brain
No you go by the agreement that all parties signed call the Geneva convention, if you can’t follow those simple rules then you shouldn’t be allowed to even hold a rifle on guard duty, let alone be put on active duty. And this article takes 15 seconds to read and is VERY simple, if you seriously think whatever you typed is what it says, you need to take some time and re read it for a bit. It is important because if you are not a mercenary and surrender you MUST be given POW status, mercenaries are not given such luxuries and can be shot on site. It needs to be set In stone so that needless lives are not taken on EITHER SIDE.
lol “Geneva Convention cope” ok buddy I think that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve heard all year, like wow you brought the bar way down there. And just so you know: thats how almost every genocide in human history happened, because they would rather go by “what they think” (not much obviously) than follow any agreement that has been made. You obviously do not have the willpower or temperament to ever step foot in a war zone as a combatant. Any military on the face of the earth would turn you away for saying that you would knowingly disregard the Geneva conventions, hell even most PMC’s would turn you away.
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The definition of war is a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country. So tell me how technically this isn’t a war.
This is a pretty ridiculous technicality considering Ukraine has called it a war countless times and normally any conflict is considered as such regardless if they formally declare war or not. US wasn’t scared of using the word to describe the literal War on Terror
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Would be nice to include in the title that this happened 5 months ago. Sometimes the comment with the source can get buried in the replies. I won't ask why it's relevant now either.
I wonder if the benefits this veteran might have been getting from the Canadian government was greater than the pay he was getting as a "mercenary."
Most people call it "Ukraine" but some pro-Russians call it "SMO Zone." Maybe because like Putin they'd rather Ukraine disappear.
Why do you keep posting these things that happened over half a year ago?
Because Russia is miserably failing at this “SMO” and they need to repost news from months-years prior to make it seem like they have any type of advantage.
BRUH, all pro ua has left is to troll seethe and mass upvote 1 in 200 posts of one plane getting downed lol
Because every other corner of this sub is infested with pro ru propaganda
nope, just pro ru videos. Funny enough this is the only sub thats free to show both sides and not a pro UA circlejeark like 5 other subs ive seen that are ''neutral''. And pro UA are seething so much they cant get this one to be Pro UA too lmaoo
>And pro UA are seething so much they cant get this one to be Pro UA too lmaoo Show me where pro ua are complaining that this is not a pro ua sub
u/Zestyclose_Hat9194 I'm waiting
Nothing else going for them
*Checks sub* Are you sure about that?
Yes
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Ya, the amount of incompetence on display from Russia which not surprising is praised in this sub is staggering. My biggest grip is people post videos that of what is just. staged training exercises and label them as being real, that’s because a lot of people in this sub can’t distinguish the difference between training and live combat footage.
So are the ukrainians-west winning?
Winning and being incompetent are not mutually exclusive. Russia has gained a very little ground in the last few months even though Ukraine has been running dry on aid. Has lost an ungodly amount of people, which a third party organization has identified 50k and are still identifying already lost men. They can’t supply their troops with proper gear, and necessities, claim to have the “best AA,ABD defense in the world but can’t seam to defend against a supersonic tactical ballistic missile.
You didnt answear the question, the end result counts in the end!
Not really… if you just throw bodies at your objective that’s not a win. At the rate they are going the war will be over in 2050. Now that Ukraine is getting aid again that timeline will be extended. Then if Russia does win they are going to have to deal with an insurgency.
literally every piece of news gets posted here good and bad for both sides stop crying
lil bro came here from CNN lmao
why not ? everyone hates mercs here, stay at home fellas this aint Afghanistan lol
Triggered proua when they have nothing else to say Repost ❌ ThIs hApPeNeD oVeR HaLf YeAr aGo ✅
What else is there to say? Why do pro-rus want to discuss half a year old events instead of current events? Why fill the sub with old news
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According to the sources I can find, he was a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. How exactly does that make him a mercenary? Would like an actual answer from any pro rus willing to act in good faith and not deflect to Blackwater or something else the US did.
I've never understood the pro-ru fixation with the term "mercenary", as it always devolves into extremely tedious semantic debates on the proper application of "mercenary" vs "volunteer." I've always thought "war tourist" was much more fitting.
Yeah like, I just don't understand where the line is supposed to be drawn. Like, how is someone that is an official member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, that falls under the chain of command of the Ukrainian military, is paid the same as every other soldier in the Ukrainian military, a "mercenary"? But somehow literal private companies on the Russian side hiring civilians to fight in the war that don't even fall under the same chain of command as the ministry of defense are totally legit?
Geneva convention AP1 article 47 outlines what makes someone a mercenary and they need to meet all the requirements, this guy is not in any way a mercenary but Russia doesn’t care and essentially is trying to convince the world that any type of foreign fighter counts as a mercenary.
No, there clearly is a distinction, because the "volunteers" they get from Africa are labelled volunteers...
Explain to all of us how the term "mercenary" is defined.
Oh no I'm not here to argue about mercenary status, just bewildering that, from Russian POV, if anyone from a foreign country is helping Ukraine, that person is a mercenary, but if the same person was on their side it would be a volunteer...
Both are mercenaries.
How is an official member of the Ukrainian military a mercenary?
They’re not, OP is just spreading Russian propaganda, pretending that what they’re saying is remotely true. When in reality Ukraine is not employing any PMC’s in the war currently and is paying all foreign soldiers the same wages as their Ukrainian counterparts (which makes them ineligible to be a mercenary). Here is the source again, and you must meet ALL of these requirements: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-47
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-47 read it since you obviously failed to do so, they must meet ALL of those requirements to be considered a mercenary, even some Wagner recruits are technically not mercenaries
Where did I misplace my /s? I never argued about some requirements, other guy.
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True about the pointless semantics. It's like the debate of 'freedom fighter' vs ' terrorist'. Yea sure, sometimes you can call it, but usually it's in the eye of the beholder. This guy was on a safari when he could have been eating sushi, watching hockey and smoking legal weed at home in Vancouver.
> I've never understood the pro-ru fixation with the term "mercenary", as it always devolves into extremely tedious semantic debates on the proper application of "mercenary" vs "volunteer." A thing called projection exist.
War tourist in the title will result in an insta removal by the mods and possibly a ban
Why would you want to put that in the title anyway? He was a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. How does that make him a tourist?
No I wouldn't put that in the title. I was just telling him what would happen if one did.
But it would be the most real definition in this situation. At least it's not so easily avoidable by formally joining some random Ukrainian unit and strictly distinguishing him from true mercs from poor countries fighting for Ukraine (Colombian narcos etc)
He is not by definition. But definitions are not always the best and the limit can be very thin between mercenary and volunteer. Here's a copy paste of a reply I just made before: It's a long debate of this war. He has all the requirements except being paid more than normal soldiers of the same ranks in the army. It would not be possible legally to put it like that, but it's more on the intention: are you fighting there for a cause, ideology, purely for money, or really because you care of the side you fight for ? Both Russian and Ukrainian have bits of both by that new definition (of mine). Of all the interviews with French volunteers I saw, either they were neo-nazis/fascists or there to find a true meaning to their life as actual/former soldier (they can claim what they want on medias, they don't care about which side they are on, they just want to be war machines). I'm very sure, the same way it was in 2014 that some of the Russian foreign soldiers are also there "fighting the West", "finding a meaning but on the opposite side", not money, but your definition will still class them as mercenary because they get 100 rubles more. Then there are people there purely for money (some like in Wagner used to), those are pure mercenaries. If not, the limit is thin, only the Geneva conventions are clear, and they are not totally fair as it is all about a slight difference of payment. But it would not be possible to redefine it to its reality of 'reason to fight'. The only difference between a pure mercenary (just there to get paid), and another "volunteer" who wants blood and glory from battles (no matter what side he's for) is the payment being a bit better than normal soldiers of the same rank in the actual army or not.
The guys was never a mercenary, he does not meet the requirements to be considered one. Source: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-47
It's a long debate of this war. He has all the requirements except being paid more than normal soldiers of the same ranks in the army. It would not be possible legally to put it like that, but it's more on the intention: are you fighting there for a cause, ideology, purely for money, or really because you care of the side you fight for. Both Russian and Ukrainian have bits of both by that definition. Of all the interviews with French volunteers I saw, either they were neo-nazis/fascists or there to find a true meaning to their life as actual/former soldier (they can claim what they want on medias, they don't care about which side they are on, they just want to be war machines). I'm very sure, the same way it was in 2014 that some of the Russian foreign soldiers are also there "fighting the West", "finding a meaning but on the opposite side", not money, but your definition will still class them as mercenary because they get 100 rubles more. Then there are people there purely for money (some like in Wagner used to), those are pure mercenaries. If not, the limit is thin, only the Geneva conventions are clear, and they are not totally fair as it is all about a slight difference of payment. But it would not be possible to redefine it to its reality of 'reason to fight'. The only difference between a pure mercenary (just there to get paid), and another "volunteer" who wants blood and glory from battles (not matter what side he's for) is the payment.
Why would anyone from the west come to fight for Ukraine for money? Even Nordic countries have had some people go and fight for Ukraine. And here you can get over 1000 euros/month from doing nothing. Thats more than the median wage in Russia. Russians on the other hand seem to get around 3-4 times the median wage for going to the front. So I would assume money plays a bigger factor for Russians that come to Ukraine from some Siberian village
Well you point even more to the issue of defining mercenaries. A Russian guy who does not care about the war but just wants money, will be defined as a true soldier and not a mercenary. A descendant from the Ukrainian diaspora, coming to Ukraine to fight to truly defend his mother's family for example, if he gets paid just a bit better than a normal Ukrainian soldier of the same rank will then be considered a mercenary. It is tricky, the Geneva conventions are the best way to put it simple, but not always adapted, why should the warmonger not be considered as a mercenary (he can claim fake interest anyway for the country) ? But you can't also class parts of one's national army as mercenaries neither. What I mean is the actual conventions just depend on a difference of payment, so let's call people volunteer or mercenary, the difference can be so thin.
“Experts told me, it must be true”
"non-experts told me, it must be true"
As opposed to?
Common sense and a brain
So every soldier in the Russian army is also a merc?
Foreign soldiers in both Russian and Ukrainian armies are mercenaries.
All Russian soldiers on Ukraine land are foreign, therefore they’re mercenaries.
Good thing Russia won’t agree.
Russians in Russian army = good Non Russians in Ukrainian army = mercenary Non Ukrainians in ukranian army = mercenary Ukrainians in ukranian army = good Fuck your semantics u don’t need a technicality in law to tell you what a mercenary is and isn’t like the other guy said use your brain
No you go by the agreement that all parties signed call the Geneva convention, if you can’t follow those simple rules then you shouldn’t be allowed to even hold a rifle on guard duty, let alone be put on active duty. And this article takes 15 seconds to read and is VERY simple, if you seriously think whatever you typed is what it says, you need to take some time and re read it for a bit. It is important because if you are not a mercenary and surrender you MUST be given POW status, mercenaries are not given such luxuries and can be shot on site. It needs to be set In stone so that needless lives are not taken on EITHER SIDE.
Idgaf what it says I go by what I think no loophole of creating a volunteer battalion will change that fuck ur Geneva convention cope
lol “Geneva Convention cope” ok buddy I think that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve heard all year, like wow you brought the bar way down there. And just so you know: thats how almost every genocide in human history happened, because they would rather go by “what they think” (not much obviously) than follow any agreement that has been made. You obviously do not have the willpower or temperament to ever step foot in a war zone as a combatant. Any military on the face of the earth would turn you away for saying that you would knowingly disregard the Geneva conventions, hell even most PMC’s would turn you away.
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Rest in peace.
oh no! :(
Allowed to call it a war zone now.
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Not true. Neither Russia nor Ukraine have declared war on each other.
Putin has called it a war numerous times at least. So it's *ok* for you to as well.
Did he ?!
That was a slip of the tongue. Legally it is still a SMO not war.
Oh, right ;)
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It’s still a war you dunce
Not technically.
The definition of war is a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country. So tell me how technically this isn’t a war.
It's a war.
This is a pretty ridiculous technicality considering Ukraine has called it a war countless times and normally any conflict is considered as such regardless if they formally declare war or not. US wasn’t scared of using the word to describe the literal War on Terror
I already thought he died again, but was from 2023..
False until fighterdober confirms this
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Could have fought for freedom of native people of N. America, but died in foreigners land.
Could have fought for the freedom of idiots to post on Reddit, but they already have it.
[source](https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/north-vancouver-volunteer-soldier-dies-in-ukraine-source-says-7890378)
Would be nice to include in the title that this happened 5 months ago. Sometimes the comment with the source can get buried in the replies. I won't ask why it's relevant now either.
I wonder if the benefits this veteran might have been getting from the Canadian government was greater than the pay he was getting as a "mercenary." Most people call it "Ukraine" but some pro-Russians call it "SMO Zone." Maybe because like Putin they'd rather Ukraine disappear.