Remember those bonuses Russia was paying for people to fight in Ukraine?
They're not paying it.
There are soooooo many reasons this is such an enormous mistake.
1) The easiest way to get troops to stop fighting for you, besides them dying, is to not pay them.
2) The easiest way to stop people from signing up for your army, is to stop paying your current troops. That'll make enlistment dry up like a Texas summer.
3) If, as the British suggest, the bonuses are being stolen by Russian commanders, then the oil execs better make room on the sidewalk for the next batch of window whoopsies, as Putin puts on a new music video for
It's Raining Men.
We know Russia's not doing great. That's not the problem. The problem is when
Russia finds out Russia's not doing great. How many people will see their brother, husband or son sent off to war for pay, that isn't paid, before the population decides Ukraine isn't really the enemy here? I know they're brainwashed (has anyone seen our favorite slacker recently?) but at this point, it should be clear Ukraine isn't the one murdering them. Ukraine's just sitting over there wanting to be Ukraine. Russia's the one trying to murder Russians.