Russia has resorted to crowdsourcing food, clothes and even military supplies for its troops

[yaesu]

“No one expected there to be such a war,” Tatyana Plotnikova, a business owner in the city of Novokuybyshevsk, told the Times in a phone interview.

“I think no one was ready for this”.

The article suggests Russia’s $66bn (£52.2bn) defence budget was woefully inadequate for such a large scale undertaking as the invasion of Ukraine.

A grass-roots network of citizens is donating roubles to pay for, among other items, drones, crutches and potatoes to be sent to the front line.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/world/europe/russian-soldiers-military-supplies.html

[Wounded Bear]

1. Another parallel to Hitler's Germany in WWII...

at the end of 1941, as winter hit his troops in Russia, the Wermacht was woefully undersupplied in basic winter clothing, as well as the lightweight oils and lubricants for their motorized equipment and weapons and the kinds of ointments and such to treat frostbite. They lost the equivalent of 1 division of troops per week during the worst part of the winter. They were lighting fires under the engines of vehicles to unfreeze them enough to start them. Rifles and cannons would lock up. When they did have shelter they had to leave their weapons outside because when they went inside a warm building they would sweat and then freeze when they went back out.

Back home, they had drives to collect furs and heavy clothing to send to the troops. It was a huge error in planning, because they thought they would win before the winter set in.

[tirebiter]

2. It ain't worth it, really.

Trust me on that.

[Ilsa]

3. What if they had a war and no one responded to crowdsourcing? nt

[PortTack]

4. Some perspective on military budgets. China & japan spend approx 320 billion. US 764 billion

It is so telling and typical of the kleptocrat in charge. He has billions of his own, stockpiled money for this war and still asks its poorest citizens to give.

Ppl in this country have NO idea how poor russians really are, or what it would be like to live under a regime like pooties.