In Ukraine, corruption saves lives

Specifically, it saves the lives of draftees who are able to buy their way out of military service. In yet another belated attempt to curry favour with his Western sponsors, Zelensky cracked down today on the military recruitment infrastructure that has been utterly corrupt throughout the war. Seems those who can get their hands on a few thousand USD can buy their way out of service, and who wouldn’t want to? A trip to the front lines is a one-way trip three out of four times. Word is 3,000 USD gets a prospect a “white letter,” a fully legit doctor’s note declaring you unfit for military service. That’s a small price to pay to save your life. The loot is spread around amongst crooked recruiters and crooked doctors. If a recruiter has 100 names on his daily draft list and even 10% cough up the cash, that makes for a sizeable stash. This scheme has been an open secret for a year and a half. Why would Zelly be clamping down on corruption at this late hour, when the war is obviously lost? The shmucks who can’t come up with three grand are the ones saving the democratic world.