1/ The disgraced and jailed Russian general Timur Ivanov wants to go back to Ukraine to fight as a stormtrooper, according to his lawyer. The news has angered many Russian warbloggers, who suspect that he intends to bribe a unit to let him serve in safety in the rear. ⬇️
2/ Ivanov's lawyer Denis Baluev says that his client has been working out hard while in pre-trial detention to get himself combat-ready: "That's why he's healthy. A fighter like him certainly wouldn't be out of place in the Special Military Operation!"
3/ "Moreover, he's truly motivated to restore his good name. Not by sitting out somewhere in the rear, but by actually doing combat work." Baluev says that Ivanov doesn't plan to appeal to Putin for clemency, which the jailed General Ivan Popov attempted without success.
4/ 'Military Informant' suspects that another scam is planned by Ivanov, who is serving a 13-year sentence: "Does anyone believe that with such [large sums of] stolen funds, he will actually serve as a stormtrooper?"
5/ 'Regimental Commissar' is similarly suspicious of Ivanov's intentions: "The cunning minnow Timur Ivanov has applied for the SVO [Special Military Operation], and this is, of course, a sign."
6/ "It's not a sign that he's acknowledged his guilt and wants to atone with blood, but a sign that this path has already been trodden by other crooks, and the scheme is quite effective.
7/ "Fraudsters and embezzlers of all stripes go to the SVO instead of prison, sit out their sentences in rear units, buying themselves "cushy" positions from army commanders not spoiled by large bribes.
8/ "Then, receiving amnesty and SVO participant status, they calmly return to freedom. A year ago, a scheme was uncovered where, for 10 million rubles, dashing officers in uniform solved the problem, as they say, "turnkey."
9/ "A man was yanked from under investigation and sent to one of the dodgy battalions in the SVO zone, where he lived in a boarding house by the sea. Then he'd be given a fake wound, receive a real state award, be discharged, and go home.
10/ "I'm convinced a similar scheme is in store for Timurchik, only perhaps the sum wouldn't be in rubles, but in another currency. Oh well—our "hero" can handle it. No one will probably ever know for sure how many people have already escaped their well-deserved punishment.
11/ "We've heard stories about the Moscow generals of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation who took a bribe from the thief-in-law Sharko Molodoy and received long sentences.
12/ "Well, they're already free—they "fought" in the SVO, and surprisingly, none of them were killed or even wounded.
13/ "I understand the system is imperfect. And I have a suggestion. Perhaps we should form a separate penal battalion of them, where each soldier would have a GoPro camera on his helmet and be required to conduct assaults every day.
14/ "And if they have something to show, the valiant DIMK [Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation] will broadcast it all.
15/ "Look, Orthodox people, here's Private Timur Ivanov storming a Ukrainian stronghold, and here he is, dodging a drone by jumping off a buggy.
16/ "And so the exploits of this penal battalion would be shown on STS like a reality show, and everyone would know why this or that embezzler was sent home early. And he could only return home as "200" [dead] or "300," [wounded] and that would be true atonement in blood.
17/ "And I assure you, if such a penal battalion existed, all these Timur Ivanovs would prefer to remain in prison. Because in real life, they are cowardly rats, incapable of even launching an attack, let alone even reaching the front."
18/ 'Voenkor Kotenok' agrees, and comments further on the scam of fake military service in exchange for large bribes: "Some people's war is others' mother. There are separate units, as a colleague writes, that "whitewash" criminals and make them "heroes of the SVO."
19/ "The fee is 10 million [$124,850]. I think it grows monthly due to inflation. Very, very convenient. And there are plenty of facts, really, if they are being gossiped about. It goes like this:
20/ "- Stole, and not just small amounts, but millions; - Caught red-handed, convicted; - Jailed; - "Went to the SVO"; - "Fought. Wounded. Received an award"; - "Hero of the SVO with a state award [entitling them to amnesty]"; - Amnestied.
21/ "This is how you get "stormtroopers" who never went on the attack, "knights" of orders and medals who never performed any heroic deeds.
22/ "Moreover, there are cases of bribe-takers in uniform, given a chance to atone for their bloodshed in the SVO, returning to their former duties, but now as volunteers.
23/ "It's more familiar to do what you're good at, especially under the guise of helping the front and those in humanitarian distress..."
24/ As Kiril Federov points out, the colossal amounts of money stolen by Ivanov may have had a very serious impact on Russian operational capability, costing many soldiers' lives:
25/ "4 billion rubles equals 20,000+ daily Mavics. The annual requirement for the ENTIRE Russian Armed Forces is 15,000 Mavics or more." In short, he deprived the ARMY of reconnaissance, potentially leading to the deaths of MANY THOUSANDS of OUR men." /end
@ChrisO_wiki Let him cause I wanna see that.
@ChrisO_wiki @threadreaderapp unroll, please
@ChrisO_wiki All I'm hearing is that he doesn't want to get thrown out a window