How Looting Ruined the Russian Army

🔍 Uncover the shocking world of wartime looting! 🕵️‍♂️ What impact does it have on conflicts? 🤔 Is it technically allowed? Join us as we delve into the consequences and explore a unique twist: Could the soldiers' desire for plunder become a weapon of revenge? 🛡️ From historical looting rewards to today's strict military laws, we contrast the US approach with Russia's controversial policies in Ukraine. Discover bizarre loot tales and how victims turn the tables. 🔄 Don't miss this eye-opening analysis! 🎥🔥 #WarLooting #MilitaryAnalysis #UkraineConflict #themilitaryshow

[bjornh]

When Soviet soldiers looted Berlin in 1945, they stole stuff like water taps and lightbulbs. They came from parts of the USSR where such things didn't exist, and they thought that water and light would come out of the loot. It seems like little has changed.

[deBebbler]

The phrase "steal some nice looking tracksuits" speaks volumes.

[ChuckHuffmaster]

Looting is rampant but I find the kidnapping Ukrainian children to be inhumane

[rochrich]

They aren't smart about it either. Thousands of John-Deer combines and tractors were stolen but once John-Deer pulled out of Russia, they turned off the electronic controls for the machines. No farmer nor mechanic will ever get those machines running.

[mayamar]

The best known old example of problems caused by looting was probably the battle of Megiddo 1457 BC. Because the egyptian soldiers started looting the battlefield the enemy had enough time to retreat behind the city walls.

[skrappyjon]

My grandfather's unit in WW2 stopped at a village in France for a night. The Germans had only recently retreated, and the rest of his unit found a bunch of wine, which most of them drank. My grandfather didn't drink, and just went to sleep instead. The next day, several of the men woke up blind. The Germans had poisoned the wine on their way out.

[milkbaologist]

the russian logistical incompetence has gone to level that “soldier replaces armor plate with Mac” and “soldier uses Mac as armor plate” sound equally plausible

[robandcheryls]

Canadian military has very strict rules on looting. In my 21 yrs of service I don’t recall it happening within my sphere.

[drlegendre]

Only a true, full-blooded Gopnik (Gopnitza?) would ever use the phrase "good looking tracksuit".

[Elongated_Muskrat]

The title suggests the Russian Army wasn’t ruined at one time.

[CCRoselle]

Russian Company Commander calling home...
Honey, I'm in Ukraine."
"Did you take Kyiv?"
"No."
"Did you take Odessa?"
"No."
"Did you take Kharkiv?"
"No."
"Well, what DID you take?"
"A toilet, a hairdryer, and a laptop."

[bellakaldera]

Toilets...The Orcs were stealing toilets.

[Saurophaganax]

"What kind of Russian wouldn't steal?" Damn the lady just summed up so much of Russian society in one sentence.

[AshtarMichael]

08:00 Some nice looking tracksuits. Doesn't get more Russian. IDK if "nice looking" tracksuits exist in the first place.

[CZpersi]

Back in the old days (I think it was all the way up to Napoleonic wars), looting was an integral part of military strategy. Logistics of entire armies depended on succesful collection of loot from the towns and villages that surrounded the marching troops. There were no ways of preserving food, so looting fresh supply of meat and vegetables was often the only option. Without this, it would be impossible for large armies to march across the continent. Modern militaries have mostly realized that this destroys the morale, ruins the relations with the civillian population and exposes their soldiers to various forms of sabotage.

People in my country have many stories about Russian soldiers looting and stealing both after the WWII and in 1968. The Russian phrase "davay chasi" (Give me your watches) is legendary here. When the occupation soldiers were expelled, they brought with themselves trainloads of luxury goods, clothes, and home appliances.

[Zack_Wester]

there was talk about the washing machines been looted for parts for rockets and missile and other military tech manufacturing.
Like Russian soldier would loot anything but there was a priority list of item that the Russian Army orderd soldier to loot (drones, washers, laptops, electronics and so on)

[ph]

My cousin maried an ethnic Russian when she was stationed in Kazakhstan back in the early 1990's; you want to hear someone who's seriously pissed off at Russia and the war in Ukraine?!? Yeah...

[Sony-Fanboy]

Accusing the current Ukrainian gouvernement in Kiev of facism and comparing them with Nazi's...But the Russian soldiers are behaving exactely the same as the Waffen SS did during WOII. How ironic?!!

[mikitz]

What would be more convenient than paying your soldiers with stuff you never owned? Sheer brilliance.

[ronjon]

Obviously, with oligarchs siphoning fund for their yachts and palaces and properties in other countries, looting and corruption occurs at all levels. It seems to be a leverage technique to keep people with position in line with their loyalties to the machine, lest they be arrested for their actions.

Although not looting per se, don’t forget the dramatic story of the AeroFlot airliner that went down with a plane load of generals who had flown out of country. They all spent fortunes on shopping sprees in NATO countries to buy goods not available in the USSR. (Think it was the USSR then, can’t remember exactly when this occurred.)