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An Allegedly Corrupt Russian Commander Sent His Best Drone Operator To Die As An Infantryman (www.forbes.com)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I boosted because for the most part I agree, however the 40k style commissar executions by the Soviets was wildly overblown by Hollywood and the joys of the First Cold War (imo, it either never ended or began anew in the past 20 years).

I dug around to find some relevant info:

These barrier troops operated by apprehending retreating troops and sending them back to the frontline. When this was not possible, retreating troops were detained to await trial. Although they had orders which allowed them to shoot deserters and “cowards” on the spot, and while this most certainly did happen, it was not the norm. Of those detained and found guilty (around 900,000), roughly 422,000 were sent to penal battalions where they would continue the fight against the Germans by performing the most dangerous jobs. This number accounted for around 1.5% of those who would serve in the Red Army during World War II. Another 436,000 were imprisoned

An example of these ratios can be found in an internal list from the NKVD regarding the Battle of Stalingrad from 1 August 1942 to 15 October 1942. According to the list, 15,649 soldiers were picked up by barrier troops. Of these, 244 were imprisoned, 278 were shot, 218 were sent to penal units, and 14,833 soldiers were returned to their units.

So these blocking units were technically being operated by NVKD orders and officers, and according to their data, the vast majority of retreating/deserting troops were sent back alive (to die on the front line). Also for context for any readers unaware, the NKVD was the predecessor to the KGB, much like how the US had their OSS more or less turn into the CIA.

Couple quick sources since I'm too lazy to dig through my Russian history textbooks: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/11/05/the-soviet-army-once-shot-its-own-troops-for-retreating--the-russian-army-could-do-the-same/ https://www.thecollector.com/soviets-in-world-war-ii-myths-and-misconceptions/

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

the NKVD was the predecessor to the KGB, much like how the US had their OSS more or less turn into the CIA.

Whoooa-ooaahh!!!

That's, that's not even a comparison you can make, that's insane!

The nkvd was a monstrous organization that controlled every aspect of Soviet civilian life, it was Stalin's personal enforcement arm, responsible for all the purges and executions.

It was led by this fucker here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavrentiy_Beria

The hundreds of underaged girls he raped and tortured are literally the least of his crimes.

Comparing the nkvd with the Cia? I don't even understand how you can try.

The KGB exists because the nkvd was utterly out of control under Stalin and they wanted something a bit less insane. Still a brutal arm of state security, but the NKVD was schizophrenic serial killers on meth.

The US has never, EVER in our history had anything that can remotely compare to either. The Cia specifically operates against foreign targets, there were very few exceptions to that rule.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That wasn't the point I was making.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

I get it, I just didn't like the parallel, the NKVD were absolute monsters, nightmares in human form, the CIA has a LOT of faults, but outside of Pinochet and a few things in the 80s, I can't see them on the same level at all.