Drunk recruits, insubordinate soldiers and convicts are among hundreds of military and civilian offenders pressed into Russian penal units known as “Storm-Z” squads and sent to the frontlines in Ukraine this year. Few live to tell their tale.

  • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    At least Russia’s criminal population isn’t dominated by ethnic minorities.

    I wonder if that’s entirely true. I strongly suspect they’re overrepresented. Historically the Soviets deported a lot of non-Russian minorities to penal colonies. Same thing now, where a lot of Ukrainians are being deported to the far east.

    Russians are also quite frequently virulently racist. People from the Caucusus, central-Asia, etc. Anti-semitism too.

    Of course, now they’re disproportionately sending those minorities to die in Ukraine, so there’s that.

    • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Historically the Soviets deported a lot of non-Russian minorities to penal colonies.

      They did do that to a number of Axis powers fascists, because they were fascists.

        • zinguszna@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          ??? The rise of fascism to serious prominence, and the existence of ‘Axis’ powers, predates World War II, try World War I for example.

          • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            They weren’t deporting axis power fascists in the 1920s. They were primarily deporting peasants who resisted collectivisation. They weren’t ‘axis power fascists’. Even Stalin didn’t use that excuse.