Think also of the Russian victims of Putin's ego trip to hell. A friend of my son was a tanker in Afghanistan. He suffered at least two TBIs from IEDs, and lost much of a hip supposedly from sitting on depleted uranium shells. (I am a little unclear how. Depleted uranium is barely radioactive, with a 4.5 billion year half life.) Stem cells successfully rebuilt the hip. A recruiter promised and delivered $40,000 signing bonuses to him and many others, which the Army later decided were improperly offered and paid. For several years, he was refused VA treatment for his service-related health problems unless he repaid the $40,000 signing bonus. (I believe this Charley Foxtrot has since been fixed.)
A Russian tanker has several possible actions:
1. Surrender and risk court-martial and execution.
2. Surrender and never go home to family and loved ones. I doubt they would be allowed to leave.
3. Wait for an antitank weapon to squirt molten copper on him followed by the shells exploding, sending his body in pieces out with the turret.
4. Do his best to avoid combat and face trial for insubordination or cowardice.
5. Hope that sleeping outside the tank does not cause frostbite or death.
These are all horrible choices. Putin has created absurd suffering, not just for Ukrainians, but also for Russians, having to fight what is likely an unwinnable war.
Something like the Italians in North Africa? Too much of a gulf between the enlisted and the officers is not good for combat effectiveness.
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