Driven To The Slaughter - Russian Soldier Explains Life and Death In Storm-Z Units

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[@PrestonStewart]

Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks: www.masterworks.art/prestonstewart Purchase shares in great masterpieces from artists like Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Andy Warhol, and more. See important Masterworks disclosures: www.masterworks.com/cd And as always, thank you all so much for your continued support!

[@AprezaRenaldy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJfShax-aaaNmq8si=xPUNwjgwLY1w6nSz

[@adamrak7560]

Not an investment advice, but a big warning about Masterworks: they vastly underestimate the risks of this investment. You absolutely need to research and understand the risks before investing with them. They are not necessary a bad investment, but not understanding the risks is a big mistake. Every investment carries risks. Arts investment has its unique risks, including liquidity problems, and Masterworks does not shield their customers/investors completely from these risks.

[@kagadaza07]

Wow, even though this may be more of the exception than the rule, it is mind-boggling to think that these soldiers, on top of risking their lives, have to bring their "debit cards" or Rubles to increase their likelihood of staying alive. It reminds me of the movie, "Enemy at the Gates, " which is an account of Vasily Zaitsev (Russian Sniper during WW2) and the German siege at Stalingrad. The first segment is a Komisar on a truck using a bullhorn. At the same time, other political officers break the arriving soldiers to the front into pairs and give one soldier a loaded rifle, and the other just a clip of bullets. When the soldier with the rifle dies, the other soldier picks up the gun and continues the attack. This mainly was Hollywood taking dramatic license to this scene. After hearing your story, which I know should not be generalized across the typical Russian military units, I thought perhaps there was more truth than fiction in that movie scene. Thank you for your post. By the way, I wouldn't trust Masterworks; that is my opinion.

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

Good video.. And if true, which is hard to disprove, it brings a startling insight to what happens, behind the curtain/blanket. As russians is covered in blanket of lies and disinformation.. Did they really expect the Kremlin mafia to pay out of their ill-gotten money, and actually pay both the salary and loss bonus to the families....? No.. It was always the plan to just either deny it, stall it indefinitely or just say the soldier was a traitor. And then pocket that money. Pootin needs more palaces in Sochi

[@adolfolerito6744]

@@kagadaza07 tbh what was portrayed in Enemy At the Gates is exactly what happened several times during Russian history. For example, during WW1 Russia had many, MANY instances of soldiers who were expected to pick up rifles and grenades from their dead comrades, and WW2 wasn’t different, especially during certain periods of time. If a company, a battalion or any other formation was expected to mobilize to an area, yet somehow the firearms or other supplies were delayed due to the ever-atrocious logistical systems of Soviet Russia, the soldiers were just expected to charge without the weapons. It was the norm in Russia, and the Russian population, ever used to happily sacrifice their lives whenever any dictator tells them to, just complied and executed the orders without flinching, which btw utterly befuddled German military and political leaders (just read the memoirs of Heinz Guderian, Albert Speer, or any general employed in Operation Barbarossa). Things haven’t changed much, because the Russian population is just used to fight and die in absurdly high numbers. They have done so in every single conflict they took part in for about three centuries, so they got used to it, and are simply incapable to refuse let alone rebel against it…. the only times in history when the population realized that maybe being cannon fodder isn’t good, was after the Russo Japanese War of 1905 and WW1, ie when Russia was defeated in such a crushingly destructive way that even the strong NPC programming ceased to function. So yeah, this is basically how it works for Russia and their extreme carelessness for life and high casualties.

[@johnwalsh4857]

Nepali contact of mine still fighting for wagner in the donbass said that he was recruited in late 2022 , his class had 50 Nepalis , by 2024 only 5 of the are still alive.

[@t.m.5004]

Damn that’s effed up

[@afcgeo882]

Well he’s not fighting for Wagner, that’s for sure.

[@jamesoldham9995]

What's with all these Nepalis fighting for Russia? Are they Gurkha washouts with a deathwish or something?

[@johnwalsh4857]

@@afcgeo882 well he is now, he is a sgt. in a wagner artillery unit. not anymore cannon fodder , he says he gets 4K USD per month, plus R&R to Moscow and St. Petersburg all paid vacations, with free booze drugs and hookers and he is able to send money back to Nepal. So if you survive and manage to speak passable Russian and good at your job and get noticed, you become an elite in the PMCs. but the chances of that is pretty low. most likely if you are cannon fodder you are kaput. He told me also no one is winning the war, its a bloody stalemate.

[@afcgeo882]

@@johnwalsh4857 Sorry mate, but none of that is true. There are about 500 Wagner troops in Ukraine. They’re in the Donetsk region. They’re all Russian. Nepalese guys are contracted into the regular Russian military. They get paid decent money, but not $4k a month. Closer to half that. They certainly don’t get R&R in the rear. There is still a lot of fear of desertion and the foreign fighters aren’t even Russian citizens.

[@williamreymond2669]

Forty survivors out of 600, that's 93% casualties in two months.

[@dota2videoclips754]

Propaganda

[@someone2549]

Another pow said they were sent reinforcement troops and 6 out of 100 survived.

[@AlexBizzar]

@@dota2videoclips754 🙄 Read history books more.

[@wy9718]

@@dota2videoclips754 you wish katsap.

[@ZootyZoFo]

@@dota2videoclips754The intelligence services from multiple western intelligence agencies have confirmed that Russia is losing over a thousand men a day for the last two months, no other intelligence agency in the world is more accurate than “Five Eyes”, look it up my Vatnik friend but of course you won’t because you prefer the lies & propaganda from a government that tells you what you want to hear not the truth.

[@dzengrinder]

Russian here. The treatment of those, who refuse to fight in Storm Z varies a lot. We get stories of people getting sent away to "Prison pits" near frontline, sometimes they get beat up, tortured or even executed in some cases. The bottom line is - it all depends on commanders in particular case, how short they are on manpower and stuff like that. I had a chat with some guys, that used to be Project K(prisoners in Wagner), who were talking about similar sort of situation. Hopefully, this ends sooner rather than later. Peace. edit: the whole "deserting is easy" story is also something, that depends on where you are. It's way easier to dip back to Russia, and try to flee\hide, than to surrender to Ukrainians. That much is pretty consistent

[@khlaps]

It’s really getting out of hand..

[@OlNineToes]

Thanks for the perspective

[@TheAlchemist1]

​@@khlapsand here I was thinking it was out of hand two and a half years ago when the Russian military matched over the border intent on shooting any resisters.

[@robertdonovan3986]

Appreciate the information

[@FlightLine4240]

Thanks for the perspective. Do you get a sense of the general populations attitude towards the war?

[@jeffbreezee]

Some guys want to compare the bad days of fighting in Iraq with the war in Ukraine. I'm an Iraq War veteran and I served 4 months last year in Ukraine with the ILDU. I can assure you, Iraq was a "cakewalk " compared to Ukraine 🇺🇦!

[@riheg]

So you are a criminal? Congratulations.

[@oldphart-zc3jz]

@@riheg What laws do you imagine he broke, my dear Glavset shill? Civilians are free to volunteer and that's historically common, for example the Abraham Lincoln unit it the Spanish Civil War.

[@surrender_monkey]

​@@riheghow is being a veteran against the law? How fucking stupid are you?

[@kcck7588]

@@rihegthought process of a child lol

[@MufasaTomato]

Slava Ukraini 🦾

[@jld593]

If this is how they treat their own, can you imagine how little they care for everyone else on the planet?

[@LeicaM11]

I am always thinking the same thought.

[@Peter-jo6yu]

​@@LeicaM11 just another reason why they must never be allowed to win

[@kingship444]

@@Peter-jo6yuif you think this just applies to russia you are highly mistaken, your beloved politicians think the same way

[@HansKlopek]

Which country doesn't considered us commoners cannon fodder?

[@DDOD25]

@@HansKlopek That is true. But russians are known for inhumane level of cruelty towards POWs. Seckshual perversions too. They are very sick people. Not for nothing champagne bottle became the symbol of Russian ''justice'' system. I leave it to your imagination where it goes.

[@SectorSos]

Interesting fact: The reason Russia calls this "Special Military Operation" instead of just calling a War, with out even declaring a war, war could be an armed conflict with out the declaration of war. Well it's because of Russian law, if there's a war or an armed conflict where Russian forces are involved. The government and ministry of defense must release and make public the information about its casualties. But if it's not war but some sort of "operation" the information about casualties are not released to the public. And Russia has been doing this in all recent conflicts they were involved in. Afghanistan war they called: "Friendly assistance to Afghanistan by a limited contingent of the Soviet army". Conflict in Moldova, prednistrovie region (Transnistria state) They called: "Operation against Moldova Separatist". Two Chechens wars, they called: "Counter-Terrorism Operation 1 and 2". Donna's war in Ukraine 2014-2015 "Anti-Terrorist Operation" then from 2016 to 2022 it was called: "joint force operation" Syria: "Russia's military and Police help to Syria" and now full out invasion of Ukraine it's a: "Special Military Operation" and if you call it otherwise, you will even get arrested in Russia. And the reason for it, is that the government can keep the casualties a secret from the public.

[@T.R.A.I.N.I.N.G.]

it's not just casualties, putin is desperately trying to keep things seeming not only business as usual, but better than ever before, and even better than the west. there's a reason russian propaganda is unconvincing because they have little choice other than unconvincing propaganda and outright lies (disinformation).

[@Zz_Mike-Hawk_zZ]

It was Ukraine that called it ATO and OOS, not Russia.

[@mercifulterros5030]

​@@Zz_Mike-Hawk_zZ no, it was Russia... Putin himself has stated it as an operation. Soooooo... Don't know why you are lying.

[@anxietydisorders5917]

the point is even ukraine did call war on russia even back in 2015 ucraine call it ato(Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone) and in 2018 JFO (Joint Forces Operation)

[@travkin8842]

Ты глупый. Объявление войны автоматически переводит страну на военное положение. Это касается всего, ужесточение законов,отмена выборов, свободы передвижения, изьятие техники и многое другое. Россия живёт обычной жизнью, цены не растут, а экономика наоборот выросла.Фактически Россия воюет одной рукой, обновляя арсенал ракет, авиации спутников и другого, для войны с НАТО.

[@LR-jk2jk]

Just the fact that the z units exist in the Russian army tells you everything about that country and culture.

[@bera2899]

Russia is basically an entire country ran on prison rules

[@matasmatas7030]

@@Schnauzerkingggyeah, but Ukraine didn't attack Russia.

[@Schnauzerkinggg]

@@matasmatas7030 I work with Ukrainians everyday, when this thing started they got drunk one day and dude told me, cuz I have family in ukr and rus but I don't know the ones in ukr as much as I know the other ones, he only said if he had a gun right now he would kill me and laughed it off, it's permanently in their head to hate Russians without needing a reason

[@Drunkendrakon]

​@@matasmatas7030 Ukraine had a choice and it chose to screw itself. If only Ukraine maintained their army and equiptment instead of selling it all to africa.

[@P1T4Bot]

Why feed prisoners if you can send them to the front? That was a massive missed opportunity for Hitler

[@LackofFaithify]

"Taken apart for spare parts." They've gone Chinese.

[@nightwaves3203]

Ukraine was busted for that in mass. It was doctors selling parts. Ukrainian army isn't the one to get wounded in. If you get hospitalized and see your blood type circled on your chart run if you can.

[@Aj-om9nm]

I just learned a few days ago about the cannibalism that took place in China. That shit was dark af

[@superclaymaster]

@@Aj-om9nmwhich time?

[@JustAsPlanned1]

This means completely different thing in Russian. Not cannibalistic or anything similar. Pretty sure he used word "разбирать". Which in military sense means being killed/destroyed one by one.

[@Sithis211]

​@@superclaymaster😂

[@thebombcat]

I had a buddy who a coder who was pressed into the Russian military, I say was because he's dead...he died at Avdiivka. He said the piles of corpses never retrieved was staggering. Out of his first company only six guys were alive and everyone had been reassigned. He said it was constant extortion by the superiors, having to steal food from locals or other units, they were raided by their own troops and had ammo, weapons and food stolen. He said clean water was almost impossible to find. He was a Russian regular infantry soldier - not storm Z. I feel bad that my friend was forced into this situation - he was intelligent and kind...he had no place in war. Slava Ukraini.

[@JohnGrigg-gz9gm]

How did you meet him?

[@frederico-d3l]

@@JohnGrigg-gz9gminternet probably xd russians are very common in multiplayer shooter games

[@chefbkeyes]

Really sad, so much loss of life. What a waste.

[@JohnGrigg-gz9gm]

@@chefbkeyes Putin has so much blood on his hands...

[@Влад-ч8ь1с]

Ты никогда не думал , что лгать это может быть очень плохо?

[@John-mf6ky]

Damn, Russian penal soldiers are out here bartering with traders like its Tarkov..

[@Bni3]

They play as scavs

[@Russian_Dogg]

@@Bni3 if your a ukraine or russian conscript then yea but if your a enlisted soldier kinda

[@kalinmir]

one would think that corruption wouldn't be so bad after all that time but someone just steals the equipment sells it...insane

[@B.D.E.]

​@Nikolaievich9837They don't.

[@RabenmundK]

​@Nikolaievich9837 Any source for that besides "trust me bro" ?

[@afcgeo882]

Preston, please consider how those re-sellers acquired all the equipment that these soldiers needed. That’s not because Russians have free access to military gear the way Americans do. This is the equipment that “fell off” the logistics trucks. This is the reason they don’t have it in the first place.

[@cattymajiv]

I think that's so obvious it doesn't need to be said. But then again, I guess it should be said in a video.

[@wolfpecker5710]

Yeah the corruption there is astounding.

[@Charlie_12x3]

Hey Preston, i admire your accomplishments being a US Army 101st Airborne Captain and also a training team leader, CrossFit athlete with an amazing record, a business owner, a historian. Dude i want you to know of all KZbin channels covering the war conflicts, your content is bar none the best as far as detail in coverage and your intel on how accurately your ability to go in-depth and dissect things we might not understand is very different from other ppl covering the war. Your content maintains consistent and also i can see how seriously you take your reporting. Thats something that i respect, your professionalism. Thanks for your courageous service. I’ve done some research and i can say your accomplishments are absolutely impressive. I really enjoy all of your content. Anyway, God bless you, your lil one and wife.

[@rustyshacklferd1854]

cross fit is infantile, jerky improper way to lift. Its for losers who want attention, there's a reason most of the gym fail videos are cross fit fails. Real men lift slow n steady with proper range of motion. losers swing weights and act tough.

[@The_Strudel_Man]

Oh god he is a CrossFit athlete oh no

[@rfvxrfvx5278]

hahahaha

[@rr-sp5ii]

500s family dont get money and dont receive back pay. So its a cost savings for the military.

[@willietorben560]

What about 400s in case they are suspected of desertion? (This would be the formal status of any dead they did not collect and the wounded they just capped or let die in no mans land.)

[@Maja-Danmark]

If there's no body, there are no millions in compensation The commanders vary in their response. Some know for sure that he is 200 and either report him as 500 - stopping the salary - or report nothing at all - still in service That's why many families contact the authorities in UA asking if their son/brother/husband is in captivity

[@JoeRogansForehead]

Don’t invest in masterworks , you own that share in the painting for however long it takes to sell. Then you might get a return. It’s a scam

[@mattd1466]

Honestly I feel like all youtuber sponsorships are bad deals or scams, but I also get that the creators need their bread so I just skip it lol.

[@johnwalsh4857]

I hear one account, foreign volunteers in Storm Z units who cant speak Russian are sent to the front without support and minimal gear. in fact when a foreign volunteer tries to communicate in english with the Russians to call for support he is ignored.

[@afcgeo882]

Ignored because the vast majority of Russians don’t understand any English.

[@Maja-Danmark]

The foreigners are the first to refuse - their mentality is different. The punishment for refusing varies. He talks about them being sent to prison in the rear. Often they are punished at the spot. There are also reports of refuseniks in ru prisons, I think they are called the 337 criminal code

[@heikkiheykey]

The straight forward message you report is so refreshing, without all the typical repeating to lengthen the video. Thanx.

[@sandgroper1970]

Russian military forces have always had these penal units. Even in Soviet times, during World War Two , the penal units were used on the front lines, to clear minefields etc. They were basically cannon fodder, obviously they had the carrot of if you survived for x amount of time you had paid your debt to society , now I guess probably money as well.

[@Rottooth]

Thanks for covering stories like this!

[@PrestonStewart]

Sure thing, appreciate your support!

[@Jack_Redview]

The saddest part of war is the dehumanization of the opposition, Preston I want to thank you for ALWAYS giving dignity to all regardless of what flag they wear.

[@anonaccount156]

True, however bombarding a hospital full of children doesn't help your cause.

[@Kyr93]

​@@anonaccount156you're right Ukraine must not bomb its hospitals like it bombed 2 Polish farmers last year and lie that it was Russia

[@billyboy989]

@@anonaccount156 Ofcourse, America has done that numerous times as well.

[@robincordero3]

yeah but you gotta understand each side has see the other do disgraceful things to their friends this cycle of hatred will keep going until one side learns to forgive

[@boahey1000]

​@@Kyr93Isn't there a difference between Russia deliberately targeting a hospital and Ukraine's misguided anti air missile? Both should not happen, but the first was probably intentional while the second one was by accident.

[@xttf33x]

Very interesting point about how you talked about how “Anton” was able to use KZbin to get information to leave the Russian service. There was a multitude of articles about how KZbins quality and service has been severely affected in Russia lately. Very interesting. Great info as always, much appreciated!

[@The_Strudel_Man]

I’m from the US but I’m in Russia atm honestly KZbin seems the same and I can still see Preston’s videos. My only issue is that the thumbnails don’t load in for me😭

[@travkin8842]

Ютуб отменил монетизацию, и следовательно рекламму в России...Мы так страдаем, нам так не хватает рекламы каждые 3 минуты))))

[@ProudFudd]

1,000,000 Rubles is 11,400 dollars.😅

[@MrKKUT1984]

I had to Google it thinking damn he's in debt like a mofo then $11k. 😂

[@klpd666]

You have to put in into perspective. The average Russian salary is about 40-50.000 rubles a month. Higher in the big cities but substancially lower in the outer regions

[@DerDop]

Minimum wage in Russia is $ 190

[@martinwinther6013]

thats the exchange rate you get in a bank. Its not the purchasing power you gain in russia. its more than a years salary for russians

[@DerDop]

@@martinwinther6013 food prices in Russia are approximately the same as in Poland, Romania or Germany

[@COUYONTV]

Really liked this episode. You rarely hear stories of the reality close to the action.

[@W1se0ldg33zer]

When my dad's company hit the beach in Korea they did so in their office uniforms wearing street shoes. They didn't get combat gear until a few days later but then they had an issue with shoe sizes. Right after they got combat gear they went into combat. I don't recall him ever saying they had to pay for their gear. But they used his unit up - out of 125 in his original company only 11 made it home. This war is a lot like the Korean War.

[@JoeRogansForehead]

Korean War had many more troops and was a lot deadlier . 1.9 million military casualties in 3 years . This war is coming up on that point and it’s not even close. Civilian casualties were also much much higher than that like 2-3 million civilian casualties . US had a policy of free fire zones when collums of refugees were moving because they believed North Korea would sneak in with the refugee columns. So that shot at the groups . these are facts . And you wonder why the North Koreans hate us . 90% of building in North Korea were destroyed. This war isn’t even close . The pace of the fighting is what a skirmish on the front line would be in Korea . 20k vs 20k on an isolated front . This war has 20k troops covering huge areas

[@TRYCLOPS1]

@@JoeRogansForeheadYou’re giving NK too much the benefit of the doubt. Bro they murdered millions and they caused the entire war. The US and allies saved half the people from being literal slaves and murder.

[@RailRoad188]

A Taxi Driver trailer kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHOaq2eOo5qihKM

[@morstyrannis1951]

@@JoeRogansForeheadthe reason North Koreans hate the USA is not history. It’s brain washing by the ruling cartel to maintain their power and positions. Citizens of the DPRK have less access to information than citizens of the USSR did. They believe what they’re told simply because they have no other information, period. We had relatives in the USSR in the 1970-80s living in homes with no electricity, running water, or telephone. Their homes had packed dirt floors. But they were told they were feeding the poor starving people in Canada with their farms.

[@johnnybsmithy1857]

@@JoeRogansForehead And that is what you got in those days for attacking another country

[@johnwalsh4857]

and from what I heard recently Russian Storm Z units these days are mainly comprised of foreign volunteeres from poor third world nations mixed in with Russian convicts, its that bad, they are the new cannon fodder, since Russia is running low on convicts.

[@travkin8842]

Ответ себе на вопрос. Зачем России нужны такие подразделения? Много ли от них будет пользы? Только вред. Не считай наших военных идиотами.

[@willietorben560]

@@travkin8842 Однако они идиоты.

[@Dagnthor]

Love what you do man. solid reporting and i really apricate you not just taking everything at face value and encouraging your viewers to do their own research.

[@jacob_90s]

Real men buy their own fake protective armor!

[@Cfb2987]

😆😂

[@AwesomeRepix]

Or they are given armor with wooden plates as seen on Russianocontext

[@jakejoe6883]

I wish the msm could report on events like this with the transparency and objectiveness that you do. Keep it up!

[@anthonymartinez4780]

I'm not interested in the objectiveness of the other side that targets schools and hospitals to force the defender to pull back patriot systems so they can have an easier time to hammer the front.

[@jimmiller5600]

Most people don't care or can't process the info. Plus they'll switch off to Survivor reruns.

[@Maja-Danmark]

Why would they do that when they have some retired colonel something-something on the payroll, who can tell us all about what kind of mistakes are being made

[@Cfb2987]

I've heard multiple stories like this. It's interesting how no matter how bad it gets, there's never any talk among the soldiers about mutiny or overthrowing the Russian government. Sounds like a low-trust society with no real moral core. These stories make Russia sound like a really troubled, traumatized, corrupt civilization... with alotta lotta nukes. 😬 As messed up as it all is right now, I know the war will end some day. They always do one way or another. Stories like this make me feel so grateful to have been born in the USA.

[@МихаилМулюкин-л6б]

Have you ever thought about the fact that they feed you such information in order for you to think so? You can fly to Russia yourself anytime and see for yourself. After that, draw any conclusions you want

[@СергейГоловин-г5ф]

@@МихаилМулюкин-л6б , he's right. I'm from Russia. If he flies to Russia he won't know the truth, cuase no one tells it to him. Why ? Because of our new laws. Everyone is afraid of saying what he really thinks.

[@Cfb2987]

@@МихаилМулюкин-л6б a little bit of my background; my great grandparents both fled the blood and chaos of the Russian revolution and immigrated to America. I’m a descendant of people who fled the dysfunction of a troubled Russian civilization, so yes, I might be a bit biased here. - If I might ask, what is your experience and what are your credentials to know the truth on this subject? Who is “they” in your “they feed you information” statement, and how do you know “they” are lying?

[@МихаилМулюкин-л6б]

@@Cfb2987 I say "they" only because you say "I've heard multiple stories like this". Maybe even some stories are true. But if you are make decisions like "really troubled, traumatized, corrupt civilization" about a country with 140 million people based on several such decisions - well, that's your right. By the way, you are not the first one with this idea

[@Cfb2987]

@@МихаилМулюкин-л6б the stories I mention are all eyewitness accounts. I don’t think every Russian person, institution and organization is troubled, traumatized and corrupt, but it appears that enough of them are for it to be a big problem. - Some of my ancestors were Russians who immigrated to the US, so I’ll always acknowledge that there are good Russian people who maintain their goodness despite living in a relatively troubled, traumatized and corrupt civilization.

[@garethbarlow5278]

I come here for factual information and nuanced analysis. And I get it. Every time. Loving your work @PrestonStewart You are one Yank an Aussie can relate to; you’re not full of yourself. Thanks!

[@urszulavon9400]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ceasarwright7567]

Is that a joke ... factual ? Thats like saying Germans went to Gobels for factual info in WW2

[@realzuhlkmusic]

As the war gets more serious, I believe Russia will start executing refusals to prevent the number of those who will seek prison instead. Dot connected

[@It1nt]

@@realzuhlkmusic How could it get more serious?

[@kalinmir]

@@It1nt they might start saying the name of our lord

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the commentary.

[@frankshifreen]

Great video Preston - Excellent journalism

[@PrestonStewart]

Appreciate that!

[@terminaro]

I get this is supposed to be a "penal" unit, but then if it accepts volunteers is it really? Unless i missed it, Anton was not a convict. Or are they called "penal" like the war is called "special military operation"?

[@hongshi8251]

Finally this was an interesting story. This fella made it out temporarily but I’ll bet he ends up right back with another bonus and back fighting in some capacity. I’ve heard several such stories.

[@jayrudo6280]

I thought you were a stand up guy until I saw your sponsor is Masterworks.

[@oldphart-zc3jz]

They're pretty sleazy but wise viewers ignore sponsors.

[@Matthiasvd8]

Yeah simply the fact that a company heavily advertises on KZbin is a red flag

[@blucheer8743]

More information here than all the major media combined geez… good job Preston “meat is murder”

[@MoisesMartinez381]

Isn't a million rubble like roughly 11,000 bucks

[@BlutoandCo]

$11,312 at the moment

[@eblevinda]

​@richardevans3084 hello clown, its currently worth $11,410 the ruble was 13c pre war, now it's 11c hardly falling off the face of the earth lol, that took me 30 seconds to find

[@Aletdinov]

It may not sound like much if you're American, but for many Russians, it's more than a year's salary.

[@MoisesMartinez381]

@Aletdinov are you serious that's a years salary they are so close to Europe but so far sadly

[@Maja-Danmark]

@@MoisesMartinez381 50,000 monthly is the average salary They are closer to China no matter how much West they go. They aren't near anything European

[@Awake129]

Guy breaks stuff downs in a way that really helps explain a complicated situation. Great job as always. ✌️😎 Philadelphia, USA

[@CheekyMenace]

We aren't getting the "broad brush" perspective, because the rest of the brush is dead.

[@RFMaster6]

Rocking the 502 T-shirt 👍 I was in Strike Force C.2/502 1995-96. PCS’d from 1/27 Inf “Wolfhounds” 25th ID Schofield Bks HI

[@thatoneguy1741]

Fellow wolfhound 💪🏾 was an FO paired up with C Co 1-27, got out in 2022🐺⚡️

[@RFMaster6]

@@thatoneguy1741 B Co 1/27 1992-95

[@nasralaabukar8022]

Thank you Preston for the information

[@Mr.Canuck]

Yeah anyway, so my cat looks adorable when he sleeps, makes these little chirps.

[@martabachynsky8545]

You cat is probably dreaming about hunting birds. Cats, when they're awake and looking at birds outside a window often chirp.

[@whycheesus]

Thanks for vids. Shows diferent perspective than "news" or other "war bloggers" on this war.

[@harryking5869]

A brilliant listen. It’s the sort of thing that you could have guessed, but it’s great to have it confirmed with a coherent, first-person perspective, even if it is single-source.

[@johncourtney764]

My Father was a platoon leader and later a company commander with B 2 502 101st 1967 1968 Vietnam. He is about to be 91 and is going strong.

[@waefawawrgaw2835]

he was an imperialist.

[@johncourtney764]

@waefawawrgaw2835 I don't know about being an "imperialist " but he wasted a ton of VC and NVA.

[@waefawawrgaw2835]

@@johncourtney764 and this is why women pick the bear

[@waefawawrgaw2835]

@@johncourtney764 prolly a rpist too

[@johncourtney764]

@@waefawawrgaw2835 ask your mom.

[@Joshmo1234]

I remember at the beginning when people were saying the Z units were just cannon fodder and other people were saying why would Russia do that. That arguement aged well lol.

[@viktorvaughn6565]

Thanks for the info love the work keep it up!

[@PrestonStewart]

Appreciate that!

[@Birdma91]

Russia is thinking about storm z “ why spend money on storm Z when they are gonna die anyway.”

[@RetreatHell]

Reminds me of some Iraq veterans during the nastiest early years of that war (03-06). Dudes were getting chewed up in non-armored vehicles, sniped and ambushed daily, being issued sub-par gear, etc… all while realizing we’d invaded a sovereign country based on an absolute known lie that had nothing to do with the real reasons. Many felt they were just cannon fodder in a completely pointless war (which sadly turned out true since we single handily screwed up the balance of power in the Middle East by invading Iraq and overthrowing Saddam, which made Iran the much more powerful and influential country of today) It took 3-4 YEARS for the US Gov and our defense industry to finally sort out their crap and upgrade gear and equipment in mass for the troops to effectively take control of the situation Iraq had devolved into. War sucks, and is so rarely beneficial to anyone.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

The ones who got the worst where the ones who were on the receiving end of IEDs made of daisy chained artillery shells and one happened to be chemical. Or the ones who found the WMDs and got neurological damage from it and got told to be quiet about it.

[@user-ue2tv5rd9e]

Iraq was such a fool's errand, as was Afghanistan. And now that we have a legitimate war on our hands in Ukraine, with locals who really want us to help and are grateful, so many otherwise patriotic Americans have turned weary and cynical. What a shame. That's on you, GWB.

[@B.D.E.]

Absolutely right. The US invasions of middle eastern countries in the 2000's are some of the most harmful things any Western country has ever done to our collective ability to project the idea of democracy as fhe favourable option. It really made the USA the weakest link in the free world, especially how they dragged so many allies into their illegal wars through an illegitimate triggering and abuse of Article 5.

[@andreykaminskiy2391]

@@user-ue2tv5rd9e How many times must you face the situation “Previous wars were crimes, but this war is a just war, a war of the forces of good against the forces of evil!” to start suspecting something?

[@RailRoad188]

​@@andreykaminskiy2391AMEN! Don't be a sucker for the cuckers in Chief!

[@occhamite]

Well done. I have been following the War is some detail, but there is new insight here I had not seen before. subbed.

[@mikeq7134]

I thought that the Strom-Z brigades were 100% prisoners. Anton hasn't explained that part of his past.

[@Joseph10153]

They’re not all or even majority prisoners. It’s literally just another assault detachment they’re referred to as 50/50 brigades. Ukraine and Russia both put regular conscripts with prisoners in assault detachments but it’s not exactly a “prison division”😂

[@loafoffloof3420]

@@Joseph10153 from the AP article "Ukraine is releasing thousands of prisoners so they can join the fight against Russia" wrote on June 30, 2024. At least the army recruiter gave an inspiring speech to them, way better than what their russian counterparts got with "'You can put an end to this and start a new life,' [said the recruiter, a member of a volunteer assault battalion.] 'The main thing is your will, because you are going to defend the motherland. You won’t succeed at 50%, you have to give 100% of yourself, even 150%.'" Rather than a die for your politician quote that what the z army did lol. Also, the army recruiter did not promise a release free of charge but on parole if the prisoner recruits survive through their ordeal and are not allowing any prisoner to join who have "convicted of rape, sexual assault, murdering two or more people or crimes against Ukraine’s national security." Unlike the z disease

[@maxmagnus777]

They are former Spenznaz, former soldiers, they are former PMC such as Wagner. They have volunteers and lastly that have some prisoners. Prisoners were part of Wagner and ... well let us be blunt, not well taken care of. So you have US officers leading some parts of it, you have French foreign legion soldiers fighting as a group (detachment) under their own officers. Then you have Chechen which have a huge grouping and number of foreign volunteers and they also count as storm troops. Scot Ritter said that he saw some 20 000 of them gather at a whim of Chechen leader when he was in Russia. Hills filled with armed humans. The only connecting part is that they all want to fight. What is the background of this man if he even exists? We've seen so much propaganda that it is ridicilous. As rule of thumb you should not trust 99% of Western media talking about Russians and vice versa.

[@Joseph10153]

@@loafoffloof3420and you believe them?? Murderers and rapists are being sent to the front as fodder there is no parole or freedom at the end for either side both sides are just emptying the prisons for meat. All I said was that the divisions aren’t entirely made up of prisoners there are many free individuals in storm z and the MANY 50/50 brigades so your quote doesn’t even counter my statement I actually agree with most of it.

[@intractablemaskvpmGy]

Yes, Preston explained that in the beginning. He got "combined"

[@p8ntbllmerc]

You're real fans know what you and what your channel is about. We stand with you, and im sure just like me, all our hearts broke when we saw what shirt he was wearing. We knew what kind of backlash you would get. Stand strong, dude. God bless

[@ConfirmedAto]

We did not think that WW1 style warfare would be possible. We are very Wrong.😔

[@reedschrichte800]

Good job soldier! "We're not getting the broad-brush perspective", Well, we're kinda getting it here. All we really ever have are stories from individual soldiers. that eventually form some kind of pattern(s). I guess until we have reports from higher ups, this will have to do. Keep up the good work!

[@jamesoconnor5908]

Rule 1 : Never miss a Preston Stewart Video

[@SuperbExistence]

Imagine making the decision to fight in a war you didn't believe in order to pay off an $11,000 debt. Count your blessings, folks...

[@myroslavhaievskyi9862]

that's a lot of money in rural russia

[@SuperbExistence]

​@myroslavhaievskyi9862 yeah that's what I mean. Many people here have no idea how good they have it

[@davesaunders568]

Long time since I've seen you Preston. Another great report. How did Anton get enough money to rent apartments and pay for the taxi to Belarus? Just wondering. Thanks, good to see you again.

[@johnnybsmithy1857]

Sold his uniform to the ones who sold it to him?

[@pistol0grip0pump]

@4:17, dude on the APC just casually constantly flagging himself in the face/eye with his AK barrel, not like he's riding on anything really bumpy and unstable, just a smart boi

[@MrChowbaby69]

Lol you wouldn't be no different.

[@pistol0grip0pump]

@@MrChowbaby69 You tell 'em petal 😊

[@MrChowbaby69]

@pistol0grip0pump I get it bro. You spend money and time shooting paper targets. Flexing on social media and really proud that you have the ability to hit a black dot or silhouette from 100 yds or higher. TBH thou that's like punching on a heavy bag and thinking you can go 12 rounds in a ring. How about you focus on learning from this instead of trying to flex bro.

[@pistol0grip0pump]

@@MrChowbaby69 So, how long ago was it that everyone you considered a friend stopped talking to you and replying to your texts? Little while? Don't worry, maybe one day if you look and work inward things will improve, and I hope they do because it must be miserable and lonely with that attitude 😂 I hope things get better bud 👍

[@MrChowbaby69]

@pistol0grip0pump How long was it that you started depending on internet to give you confidence that you could fight? Pistol0grip lol more like tacticool.

[@amoonbeams]

Thank you for your reports 💙

[@joblo341]

Your question about how refusniks / deserters are handled in Storm-Z is a good one. I think you'll find that there is no consistent policy or procedure. Even if there is, the local command, or local officer/nco in control of the refusnik punishment area will do what ever they want to do. The case of the 500's is interesting. What happens when the officer reports "x 500's". Do they assign names? What happens to the living 500s who were really not 500s, who are still actually fighting?

[@whiskeythree1622]

Right on, Preston 👍🏽 Appreciate ya

[@McConnachy]

Thank you for the information, now subscribed, along with Jake Broe and Denys Davidov, all the best from Scotland, regards Angus

[@duggdog9102]

Angus how many diverse invaders are the English sending you ????????

[@user-me2fo2tw9c]

Always good to see a new Preston video in the feed

[@CRakkDOLLAS-np5re]

I think by "equipment" he was specifically talking about digging/entrenching post-assault. I could be wrong.

[@claudiomannoni5557]

Ruck Fussia !!!

[@ľőŵďǒpė86]

love the shirt. i’m not from Strike tho, i was a No Slack boi but i have the utmost respect for the 2nd Brigade. rendezvous with destiny, babyyyyyy!

[@andreykaminskiy2391]

The losses of PMC Wagner during the assault on Bakhmut were published not so long ago by Mediazona; these data do not raise strong doubts. As far as I remember, approximately half of the recruited prisoners were killed. But this was the bloodiest battle of the war. The guy claims that the losses of his unit were much higher, and his unit was located on a much calmer section of the front. There has been some misunderstanding or clarification required in this part. Losses when 9 out of 10 people are killed can only be a consequence of an absolutely terrible military catastrophe.

[@urszulavon9400]

Or lies and propaganda on this chanel😢😢😢😢😢

[@Alex-cn6iw]

​@@urszulavon9400 It's clearly a slightly different perspective here, the truth can't be in one extreme, closer to the middle I would say. We should also remember how ukraine has total control and support of our media while the russian perspective is censored.

[@reedschrichte800]

@@urszulavon9400 Too many Russian prisoners and deserters telling a similar story, andUkrainian soldiers witnessing suicidal behavior of Russian troops. Wipe that Russian boot polish off your tongue, pathetic orc apologist.

[@reedschrichte800]

@@Alex-cn6iw Are you that really that silly? Why don;t you go to Ukraine and look for yourself?

[@Alex-cn6iw]

@@reedschrichte800 believing that ukrainian and western media is completely honest is silly, that is all I said

[@11bravo57]

The MOST valuable, irreplaceable, and wepon that a military cannot live without. This weapon is actually.

[@mikehammond4323]

Well, you say in the US when we 'show up we're given everything.' that's partly true, but when i graduated US Navy bootcamp i was pretty surprised to see all my uniforms, equipment, and even haircuts deducted from my check. We didn't get paid while we were in bootcamp, but we sure were in for an unpleasant surprise. This was 1985 and slightly over 1/3 of my pay was deducted out, some of it for things we never actually received, like shampoo and running shoes (i went in with my own but got charged anyway). Not a big deal, but pretty petty when we made far less than minimum at the time, so it didn't feel great to get charged for several bottles of shampoo while washing my hair (what there was of it :) ) with a bar of Zest

[@reedschrichte800]

Huh? Can anyone corroborate this story?

[@mikehammond4323]

@@reedschrichte800 I would not waste my time by lying about any of this

[@reedschrichte800]

@@mikehammond4323 I appreciate that, my apologies if I appeared to question your veracity. Possibly your statement shocked me into confusion. This was not my experience in USAF boot camp in 1973. Two of my brothers were Navy, as was my stepdad, who was docked at Pearl on Dec 7 and later sunk in the Solomons (CL50). Maybe Reagan really did fk over the military that badly.

[@mikehammond4323]

@@reedschrichte800 now worries, i wasn't offended, i was shocked myself. when i went in in '85 the economy was rough; at least for some. We had ~80 18 to 20 yr olds and 4 or 5 in their early 30's. At least a couple of them enlisted in order to not lose their house, at least according to them. So not getting any pay until completion of boot camp and having so much withheld was an unpleasant surprise. I can't believe nobody else chimed in on this; really disappointed. Take care - mike

[@reedschrichte800]

@@mikehammond4323 It sounds a little like what the Russians do to their troops now :-(

[@krokodilpil8335]

The soldier-written books that's going to come from this war will be really interesting. Lots of WW2, Vietnam soldiers books available.

[@ChancesRowe-g5k]

Taken apart for spare .. parts? That's really a ominous sounding phrase. Is that an artifact of the translation, or is organ harvesting of casualties really that normalized?

[@tigadirt]

I believe the reference is to their kit rather than their organs. Although that is quite possible too i suppose.

[@pathlessflyer]

I had a friend who served a Mormon mission in Russia and came back mentally ill after being exposed to how horrible and bleak many people there’s lives are

[@MikeHunt-fo3ow]

thats cause mormons believe in fairytales

[@denzelfashington3110]

3:49 being russian or living in russia is already a punishment

[@FighterOperationsGroupFOG]

Not really, Russia is extremely nice compared to here in the US. America is becoming a hell hole of homelessness, mass immigration, drugs, and crime...

[@Russian_Dogg]

depending on where you live in america and how rich your parents are its truly the same in america

[@fanfeck2844]

@@Russian_Doggit isn’t though. The US gives you every opportunity to succeed, and it’s up to the individual whether they take it or not. You can also protest the government if you don’t think they’re doing anything for you. May not change anything but you can

[@user-qk9he7se5w]

​@Russian_Dogg not even close russians don't even have freedom of speech 🙄 the poorest american living in the hood is still better off then the hillbillies of the urals 🤣 🤣 🤣

[@bored.in.california2111]

​@@Russian_DoggLol no. I have a friend who recently came from Russia. It is definitely not the same and in most aspects much better.

[@cryptolew8885]

Appreciate this. Is he okay with those details about loans etc. and not worried about being identified via that information?

[@tommcfadden5232]

Preston. Would you be surprised to learn that project 2025 has a section that concerns the US military? It contains a plan for saving money in part by eliminating the housing subsidies paid to US service personnel. As you probably know, pay for US military is sub-par to put it mildly. Housing subsidies help our enlisted people with affordable housing, which would be impossible without the subsidies. At a time when our military is having recruitment problems and when fewer are reenlisting how do you think this plan if enacted would effect our country’s military readiness?

[@Grim-Crusader]

Good thing joining the military is voluntary...don't like the pay, don't sign up.

[@tommcfadden5232]

@@Grim-Crusader Which is why fewer people are joining.

[@SunnyChin-pf6rj]

Project 2025 sounds frightening in its goal to put all power in the hands of the ruling party and it is designed to reduce accountability of those who power. One of the chief dynamics watching Russian citizens, is that they complain but can’t do anything to enact change. There is no way to replace incompetency as the structures are in place to stifle dissension even when complaints are mundane and practical (ie. repairing infrastructure). The rulers look after themselves while the commoner just wait and hope that they will one day obtain a ruler who condescends to consider their needs/complaints. The people behind project 2025 would probably feel more comfortable in the court of King George III, than the court of Adams, Jefferson, Franklin etc. Patriots indeed! The problem with democracy is that there will always be those that feel disenfranchised by the majority. It works when they find constructive means to sway ideas. However the dangerous ones won’t accept any other’s views and look at changing the political structure itself so that they may never have to feel disenfranchised or being the “loser”. I can’t believe that I am seeing this so fervently in the USA today. Russia and China are glaring examples of citizens having no entrenched rights, yet the people of today are willing to shut down their own freedoms just so that Gay person will also lose the freedom. So blinded, so sad and so frightening.

[@killinspecialist1965]

@@Grim-Crusader this is the exact problem we have no body will join if the pay is shit unless you plan on going full conscription you need to make it a competitive wage

[@JB-lp9xr]

The lunatics behind Project 2025 want an impartial military destroyed so it can be replaced by partisan corporate militias.

[@ryanm7832]

Plan is there, but the training and discipline is not (at least in these penal units). Reminds me of learning about how cav squares would panic and break up when rushed by horsemen; units had to train in that formation extensively to build up confidence and discipline to be able to pull of a successful cav square defense.

[@HajdeBreVise]

Man is looking for life in Europe. What is he to say

[@JHenrySmith2]

"600 people in this unit 40 survive, those aren't good numbers!" Once again Preston with his succinct reporting 😂😂😂

[@nosmallfeat311]

A Chinese mercenary recently said in a video that the life expectancy of any Russian infantry unit entering the war zone is 8-10 hours. He said even his mercenary unit started out as a unit of 12, now they are down to 2.

[@designmonkey2984]

yes.. i saw that too

[@ConfirmedAto]

And so history rymes again.

[@jadar9356]

Yep. They saw what happened to the ones left on battlefield torn apart by fpv drones. And knew they wouldn’t survive next meat wave.

[@chrisb-rx9wk]

Wagner is about to release a movie about bahkmut. Most likely full of propaganda but what i find interesting is it is apparently made completely of combat footage from the storm groups probably interviewing the convicts then sending them into the meat grinder if its anything like the gopro tapes taken off dead ukrainians from bahkmut/mariopul it should be one helluva show.

[@reedschrichte800]

I fail to be impressed by Bakhmut. Russians can blow any single piece of ground to smithereens, just like the US could do in VN with B-52 Arclight strikes. But it's not a tactic that can be scaled into a grand strategy... even thought the orc propagandists talk like it all the time on their TV channels

[@supportmalphite8769]

Russian casualties will be approaching 1 million soon

[@TikhonT.]

How come they're portrayed as elite units when theyre defeated but as "meat assault" units when they achieve success?

[@cardboard_shaft]

so true, that’s the case all the time man, so true

[@It1nt]

@@TikhonT. Can you give an example of that happening?

[@2serveand2protect]

A million rubles?? ...that's what ?? ...ten thousand bucks today??...

[@bored.in.california2111]

Funny to hear you cussing. I dont know why but it sounds strange coming from you.

[@GianniDeVaughn9]

You obviously haven’t spent time with the Marines. They get all the broken toys !:)

[@efoxneo]

Russian prisoners and disposable troops look like they have better kit than the Canadian Army. Absolutely pathetic. Canucks who went to Latvia had to buy their own kit too.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

A lot of that kit is Aliexpress buyer beware. Some of it lasts and some of it starts ripping at the seam as soon as it snags on something. It's where airsoft brands purchase their stuff.

[@DerDop]

Cope harder

[@orestmakar8562]

The families of deserters do not get money. Its easyer to say a soldier deserved and save money by f… over the soldiers family

[@JackSchidt]

Who else is droppin a deuce right now??

[@PrestonStewart]

Nope

[@edm240b9]

Bruh, literally on the toilet as I read your comment.

[@maxtm3000]

@@edm240b9same

[@edm240b9]

@@PrestonStewart you’re no different than the newspaper reporters of the 1940s. And just like those old school reporters, most people recieve this news when on the toilet.

[@patriklindgren6922]

These poor men are just cannon fodder i feel so bad for them.

[@mwtrolle]

Slava Ukraini, from Denmark!

[@deanjericevic8912]

An anecdotal & interesting video clip! My father’s name was Anton, Yugoslav. Pragmatically, I like the idea of using your criminal element in this way in war (Special Operation) but I can certainly concur with Anton; “Get the F%7K out here”.

[@Juicejunkie409]

Yeah, and the whole reason why the military of Russia does that to the conscripts is because they’re all prisoners. The soldiers don’t care about the prisoners I mean for crying out loud as somebody was sitting there selling drugs and killing their own community would feel pity for them and they’re trying to get out their sentence early, sad to say but it’s what Russia is doing

[@apsuaha]

These guys are living C.O.D in real time...sad reality because war is not a game that you should level up to survive.

[@The_Mad_King]

🫡🇺🇸

[@larryzeldin7561]

Why equip someone with top of the line gear that has life expectancy of 2 minutes on the battlefield 🤦‍♂️

[@phillipgolden2180]

I noticed you cover the horrors on the Russian side but I have not seen you cover the horrors on the Ukrainian side. Have you ever shown videos of Ukrainians being kidnapped on the street and forced into the army where their life expectancy is hours to days?

[@jaxonl7810]

Fake news

[@Grim-Crusader]

Nope, he has not

[@toppedtop5787]

Source for the hours or days claim or did you mean liie training was hours or days

[@BuckeyeRutabaga]

@@toppedtop5787 During the battle of Bakhmut, a Ukrainian journalist was asking some Ukrainian commander if it was true that the average life expectancy for newly arrived Ukrainian soldiers was 4-6 hours (or something in that area) and the commander responded that it was not true and that average life expectancy was about one day (or something short like that) and the way he said it sounded like his assessment of the life expectancy was much much higher. I've seen that video myself on more than once occasion over a year ago. And no, I don't have a source or a link lol - if you want to find it you will find it. I do not know what the average life expectancy is right now as I have not seen any such interviews anymore since Bakhmut. I don't believe that interview went well with Ukrainian public.

[@It1nt]

Provide a source on the events you describe, please.

[@garethcharlton7508]

fair analysis - I think we're at "peak russia " in terms of men + equipment every next vehicle to renovate is in worse condition than the precedent + they are upping the sign on bonus significantly which is a market exchange like any other not enough takers at the current price - up the offer -would like to hear your take on this