> Private fertility clinics began offering what's known as crypto preservation to servicemen and women in 2022 at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
I'm pretty certain it's "cryo" and not "crypto". Am I wrong, or has the BBC's standards slipped so badly?
"The study examined different scenarios, from a "best case", in which the war ended in 2023 without significant further escalation, to a "worst case", ending in 2025 after further escalation."
As they point out: "... the issue of Ukraine’s supposed manpower crisis. This idea has been a key part of the analysis for more than two years now, analysis saying Ukraine was on the verge of military failure."
The Ukrainians are adapting their battle tactics and use of drones to reduce their casualties. The Russians are not, and are suffering huge casualties as a result. Yet no-one is saying the Russian invasion is doomed because they're going to run out of young men.
what is the point? genetic diversity? women and the length of pregnancy is the limiting bottleneck. Men can have kids very late, and from what I heard, only a certain top percentage of sperm donors' products get picked.
It might even just be a cynical motivation to with zero actual intent on using it. Men under pressure to be thrown into the meat grinder will be more encouraged and motivated if they believe their legacy can continue even without what they know is a death sentence.
No, the bottleneck is the desire to have children. Unless you are planning to force the women, you need policies (such as these) that encourage them to want children.
Maybe Ukrainian women want to have kids with their partners who are soldiers? Morale boost, probably a higher willingness to fight to the possible death if you know there's a chance your genes will survive...
It's about more than simply having anyone's children...
Some ukarians would probably prefer to be on a couch too, even if it's West of the donbass, but not like they have a choice about martial law or conscription or the suspension of voting, but hey just some details right?
The problem is that Russia is the one surviving major imperialist state (as in annexing land) of the four that existed in the 1930s. We defeated the other three and rebuilt their constitutions, but we didn't have the manpower to do this to Russia as well.
And so, Russia continued in its imperialist tradition: Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, and next Moldova and Lithuania if they're not stopped.
The West naively believed that commerce would tame Russia, but an imperialist is never satisfied with riches and friends - only land gives them a true sense of status.
And so we must learn this painful lesson yet again.
Killing Putin would only make a temporary dent. The only way to stop this kind of beast is to destroy and rebuild like we did with Italy, Germany, and Japan.
Funny how my comment on how this article is evidence that The Ukraine is winning gets disappeared but calling for the assassination of a nuclear superpower's president is acceptable.
Never mind that they tried a month ago with the drone attacks.
How would this work exactly? The most protected person in the world, thousands of km from hostile borders, in the city with the world best AD surrounded, by bureaucrats who, if anything, think Putin is too soft on the West.
And what happened? They poked the bear and it turned their electricity grid off. Something NATO would have done in the first 4 hours, not take 4 years.
> Private fertility clinics began offering what's known as crypto preservation to servicemen and women in 2022 at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
I'm pretty certain it's "cryo" and not "crypto". Am I wrong, or has the BBC's standards slipped so badly?
Genetics live in the block chain now
I assumed the servicemen's identities were obfuscated.
"The study examined different scenarios, from a "best case", in which the war ended in 2023 without significant further escalation, to a "worst case", ending in 2025 after further escalation."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Ukraine
People who actually know about the Ukrainian war are countering the idea that Ukraine is running out of men: https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/the-fewer-soldiers-on...
As they point out: "... the issue of Ukraine’s supposed manpower crisis. This idea has been a key part of the analysis for more than two years now, analysis saying Ukraine was on the verge of military failure."
The Ukrainians are adapting their battle tactics and use of drones to reduce their casualties. The Russians are not, and are suffering huge casualties as a result. Yet no-one is saying the Russian invasion is doomed because they're going to run out of young men.
The United States military was apparently interested in the idea in a 2022 article, although I can't find any recent information on it.
https://qz.com/610131/the-us-military-will-pay-for-soldiers-...
https://www.progress.org.uk/us-military-to-offer-egg-and-spe...
And Israel has been freezing soldiers' sperm post-mortem: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/18/nx-s1-5658287/families-of-isr...
Here's how Ukraine can still win
what is the point? genetic diversity? women and the length of pregnancy is the limiting bottleneck. Men can have kids very late, and from what I heard, only a certain top percentage of sperm donors' products get picked.
The headline is misleading.
It's simply so now-widows can have another child (or two) with their late husband.
It's motivation for the soldiers -- even if you don't make it, you can still have another child after your death, and in that way you'll live on.
It might even just be a cynical motivation to with zero actual intent on using it. Men under pressure to be thrown into the meat grinder will be more encouraged and motivated if they believe their legacy can continue even without what they know is a death sentence.
> The politicians' initial efforts caused a public outcry though, when they stipulated that all samples should be destroyed on a donor's death.
Looks like you're right.
A cheap morale booster.
Russians torture and mutilate their prisoners. If they get caught, they likely will not be returned with their gonads intact.
Is this a war crime? Yes. Is the rest of world letting it happen or actively abetting? It is!
No, the bottleneck is the desire to have children. Unless you are planning to force the women, you need policies (such as these) that encourage them to want children.
Maybe Ukrainian women want to have kids with their partners who are soldiers? Morale boost, probably a higher willingness to fight to the possible death if you know there's a chance your genes will survive...
It's about more than simply having anyone's children...
There will be a million women without mates by the end of this war.
Its a crude solution that is deemed more acceptable than polygamy or, shudder the thought, peace negotiations.
So easy to demand they cede territory for “peace” from your couch in Austin. But hey, I get it. Breitbart said they should.
Some ukarians would probably prefer to be on a couch too, even if it's West of the donbass, but not like they have a choice about martial law or conscription or the suspension of voting, but hey just some details right?
Ceding territory to end the war will surely fix the problem. That worked out well with Crimea, after all.
Why not let Ukrainians decide if they want to take land? Have elections. A referendum.
yawn More obvious bullshit and agitprop. You’re not fooling anyone.
What a waste of life. Why hasn’t someone taken out Putin, is it really that hard? It can’t possibly be that hard for a state.
Putin is a symptom, not the problem.
The problem is that Russia is the one surviving major imperialist state (as in annexing land) of the four that existed in the 1930s. We defeated the other three and rebuilt their constitutions, but we didn't have the manpower to do this to Russia as well.
And so, Russia continued in its imperialist tradition: Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, and next Moldova and Lithuania if they're not stopped.
The West naively believed that commerce would tame Russia, but an imperialist is never satisfied with riches and friends - only land gives them a true sense of status.
And so we must learn this painful lesson yet again.
Killing Putin would only make a temporary dent. The only way to stop this kind of beast is to destroy and rebuild like we did with Italy, Germany, and Japan.
A state can do it, but it might fail, and the result of a failure would be a catastrophe so everyone is very cautious.
Only the US and Europe stoop this low.
Funny how my comment on how this article is evidence that The Ukraine is winning gets disappeared but calling for the assassination of a nuclear superpower's president is acceptable.
Hypocrisy News.
Yes, it is difficult to take out the leader of a world nuclear world power.
Especially one as shrewd as Putin. Especially when you're expecting the EU to do it. Not sure why this is a surprise.
The world is not an action film.
This.
Never mind that they tried a month ago with the drone attacks.
How would this work exactly? The most protected person in the world, thousands of km from hostile borders, in the city with the world best AD surrounded, by bureaucrats who, if anything, think Putin is too soft on the West.
And what happened? They poked the bear and it turned their electricity grid off. Something NATO would have done in the first 4 hours, not take 4 years.
And then you get Medvedev. His finger is so itchy for the red button he has to rub it with vagisil.
At a certain point we have to understand that Putin is about the most pro-Western person left in Russia.
>Putin is about the most pro-Western person left in Russia.
Appearing more sane than Putin while simultaneously being in a position to plausibly serve as Putin's successor is likely to be fatal.
Ok sure, you go try it! Just remember that even if you succeed, the consequences may be everyone you know and love dying in nuclear fire.
You think the war ends if they kill Putin? Medvedev would very likely nuke Kiev 30 minutes later.
I seriously doubt it. You have to be absolutely bonkers to start nuclear war over one person. Russia is insane but not suicidal.