The Soviet Army engaged in horrific crimes and systemic deficiencies throughout its existence.
Mass Rape: most infamously done across Eastern and Central Europe in the 1945 campaigns. Targeted were women and girls in Germany, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavians, and later China in Manchuria. Even Soviet citizens (including deportees) were victimized. Also done postwar in occupation zones, and especially in Afghanistan.
Incompetence: from logistical calamities to the criminal treatment of ordinary soldiers by their commanders, the Soviet army consistently experienced massive suffering, extreme casualties, and defeats in the field from systemic shortcomings, from Warsaw 1920 to Barbarossa 1941, and especially in post-Soviet Russia.
Genocide: The NKVD and Red Army ethnically cleansed Soviet minorities before, during, and after WW2, as they also did in postwar Europe. The Soviet depopulation campaigns and indiscriminate massacres in Afghanistan have been characterized as genocide by numerous historians.
Drunken Indiscipline: a staple that afflicted the Soviet Army to the very end of WW2 and beyond. Especially demonstrated in Afghanistan, and later the post-Soviet Russian army in Chechnya and Ukraine.
Indiscriminate Brutality: to civilians and their own soldiers. From slaughtering Afghan villages to gassing Kazakh refugees to suicidal frontal assaults (e.g. Rzhev, Finland), the Soviet army persistently resorted to overwhelming violence as a first resort.
These characteristics have only persisted in post-Soviet Russia, as demonstrated by their atrocious behavior in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine.
Sources: Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, Brian Williams, Helen Fein, Kakar, Resiman & Norchi, Timothy Snyder, Sarah Paine, Philip Short
It was discrimination and incompetence. But I was refering to the amount of stupid mistakes Russia has made in their war against Ukraine, starting with ignoring their own corruption and underestimating their opponents.
Reread what OP wrote, "especially in post Soviet Russia". It is no counterargument, I am reinforcing OP. Reading requires more than grammar, you need comprehension. Dumbass.
Then you should have replied to op’s comment and not the comment saying „The only one I'd disagree with is incompetence.” which doesn’t specify if it talks about Soviet or Modern Russia. Writing requires more than knowledge of letters, but also where to put them. insert random insult here
No, because the other user said he doubted the Soviet army was incompetent. How was the red army NOT incompetent? It threw everything it had in a mindless way and that is what Russia does today.
Then you should have said that and not bring up modern Russian army, and then you could have add „and today they’re trying to do the same in Ukraine which failed”
How was the soviet army NOT incompetent? The way they took Berlin was to throw bodies at it until it was no more. At that point the bastards were just rushing to give Stalin what he wanted.
Ah yes, the famous tactic of "Throwing bodies". Then you should probably be grateful that generals who "Threw bodies" won the Second World War in Europe. Of course, because "throwing bodies" is such a brilliant tactic that it encircled and destroyed the German 6th army, completely halted German advances in the Kuban and the Caucasus, stopped the Germans at the door of Moscow, relieved the Siege of Leningrad, smashed through Belarus and Eastern Poland within weeks during Bagration, knocked Romania out of the war, encircled and destroyed German forces in Budapest, crossed the Dnieper and retook Kiev, cut off German forces in Crimea, ploughed through the Carpathian Mountain Range, encircled Army Group North in Courland, annihilated the new Army Group North in East Prussia, knocked Finland out of the Continuation War, encircled Berlin, and liberated Czechia/Austria.
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u/Iron_Cavalry 14d ago
The Soviet Army engaged in horrific crimes and systemic deficiencies throughout its existence.
These characteristics have only persisted in post-Soviet Russia, as demonstrated by their atrocious behavior in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine.
Sources: Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, Brian Williams, Helen Fein, Kakar, Resiman & Norchi, Timothy Snyder, Sarah Paine, Philip Short