Dead Drop: November 11

YOUNG MEN NEEDED: You have to hand it to the TV talking heads in Russia for not sugar coating things. Well, some things.  Russian Media Monitor Julia Davis came up with another gem recently where two commentators were talking about the Kremlin’s recruiting challenges. In this video, you can see one of them argue that Russia should send its very young men into combat because when they get killed – there won’t be as many widows and orphans to pay off. Not only that, but older Russians – those over 40 — are not able to “run, jump sleep on the cold ground” in part due to their consumption of alcohol. So, there is a need to create a “normal people’s army” they say and “Children will have to go serve in the army.”  Things must be getting tough.

DON’T WORRY, WE’LL MAKE MORE: Meanwhile, the Moscow Times has a report about the misfortune of a Russian priest who not long ago advocated women having more babies so they wouldn’t feel so badly when their older kids are sent off to war and don’t come back. It seems Archpriest Mikhail Vasilyev was performing chaplain duties in Ukraine when a U.S.-supplied HIMARS missile sent him to meet his maker. This immediately caused an eruption on the internet where a lot of people were making versions of the same joke – hoping that Vasilev’s mom had a few spare kids. It also occurred to us that “Archpriest” sounds like a very appropriate title. Vladimir Putin reportedly gave him another title, “Hero of Russia” (posthumously.)