Russia Ukraine war russian

If Vladimir Putin launches a new offensive in Ukraine this spring as expected, the key to its success or failure will be the ordinary Russian soldier.

There are reports that [soldiers are being punished](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/17/europe/russia-soldiers-desert-battlefield-intl-cmd/index.html) for refusing to fight. In early February the head of Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin [announced](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/world/europe/russia-wagner-prisoners-ukraine.html) that they would no longer seek new members among Russia’s convicts. The Levada survey revealed that people in the 18-24 age range, along with those who live in Moscow and the larger cities of Russia, are least likely to identify military service with being a “real man”. Whether Russia’s political and military leadership is capable of doing that is not clear. They are also most likely to agree with the statement that “military service is senseless and dangerous and should be avoided at all costs”. These tensions in the ranks have serious implications for morale. And men mobilised for wartime service were told to [bring their own medical supplies](https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/russian-conscripts-tampons-bullet-wounds-ukraine/) because of dire shortages at the front. This effort achieved only limited success, despite the offer of salaries at up to The answer may lie in the complex relationship that Russians have with the armed forces. However, the Levada Center has been conducting this survey on a regular basis since 1997 and the results have been remarkably stable. Russia’s soldiers have turned out to be very different from the formidable fighting force that many expected a year ago. [Civilians with medical conditions](https://www.businessinsider.com/russians-being-drafted-war-despite-not-being-eligible-reports-say-2022-9?r=US&IR=T) that should disqualify them from military service were called up and put into uniform.