If Putin had his way, the Russian soldiers would be back in their warm and safe homes by now and Russia would be a bit bigger. The reality is different: since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, it has been fighting tooth and nail with the support of Western countries.
For Russian soldiers, this means: trenches instead of matjes salad, windy tents instead of warm living rooms – and overall a gloomy mood instead of victory celebrations. The Russian leadership could not change all of this, but it does not want to change it, but it has come up with another surprise: A “front-line creative brigade” is now supposed to improve the atmosphere among the soldiers at the front.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the colorful troupe should include musicians, singers and circus acrobats. While British security forces state that “military music and organized entertainment” have long been considered good manners by armies, they also doubt whether the event troupe can really have the desired success: after all, the soldiers at the front are currently dealing with problems such as “very high casualty figures, bad leadership, salary problems, lack of equipment and ammunition and a lack of clarity about the war aims”.
Russian television reports that among the musicians are both recruits and professional musicians who have volunteered for service. According to the BBC, Russia had recently drawn attention to itself with a campaign asking for musical instruments to be donated to the military.
Which:BBC
