Ukraine: would you fight or run?
Poll: Ukraine: would you fight or run?
Total Members Polled: 281
Discussion
I work with a young Ukrainian. He has managed to get out of Ukraine (lives and works in Denmark) yet is of fighting age. We were discussing the war and he was very honest, admitting that the loves Ukraine enough to live for it…but not enough to die for it.
I can understand his feelings and in his position I am not sure what I would have done. Run and save my own ass or stay and fight?
When answering the poll it would be better if you were honest (it is anonymous!) as no one can judge you like if you were asked face to face.
I read that over 600k of men of fighting age have fled Ukraine since 2022. Presumably mostly to western countries that are giving large sums of money and weapons to Ukraine. Should those countries be looking to return those men to Ukraine as what they currently need as much as weapons is more soldiers?
I don’t seem able to edit the poll.
Yes means yes I would fight
No means no I wouldn’t fight
I can understand his feelings and in his position I am not sure what I would have done. Run and save my own ass or stay and fight?
When answering the poll it would be better if you were honest (it is anonymous!) as no one can judge you like if you were asked face to face.
I read that over 600k of men of fighting age have fled Ukraine since 2022. Presumably mostly to western countries that are giving large sums of money and weapons to Ukraine. Should those countries be looking to return those men to Ukraine as what they currently need as much as weapons is more soldiers?
I don’t seem able to edit the poll.
Yes means yes I would fight
No means no I wouldn’t fight
Edited by Skeptisk on Sunday 5th May 09:00
I cannot answer the poll 
Our Ukrainian guest has a friend who has a son, low 20s. He was outside of Ukraine when the war started and is not going back. He now has an English gf and you can see where things are heading!
Our guest is a complete patriot and is furious with him. Probably not helped by the fact her bf signed up on the first day of the war and has been injured.
Our Ukrainian guest has a friend who has a son, low 20s. He was outside of Ukraine when the war started and is not going back. He now has an English gf and you can see where things are heading!
Our guest is a complete patriot and is furious with him. Probably not helped by the fact her bf signed up on the first day of the war and has been injured.
I think its easy for me to say 'yea id be out there with a machine gun shooting the s
t out of invaders' but perhaps in reality if i just watched someone get their head blown off next to me i think id consider getting the fk out.
I would imagine most would do it if they had to. Next to none would if they had a choice.
t out of invaders' but perhaps in reality if i just watched someone get their head blown off next to me i think id consider getting the fk out. I would imagine most would do it if they had to. Next to none would if they had a choice.
Skeptisk said:
Mea cullpa with the wording but should be clear from context that yes means fight
Then, Hell No.Dying in an unwinnable "war" so people like Biden and Cameron can launder tax payers money to their mates while selling Europe's bread basket to Blackrock. You would have to be stupid.
Puggit said:
I cannot answer the poll
Our Ukrainian guest has a friend who has a son, low 20s. He was outside of Ukraine when the war started and is not going back. He now has an English gf and you can see where things are heading!
Our guest is a complete patriot and is furious with him. Probably not helped by the fact her bf signed up on the first day of the war and has been injured.
Is your guest not of fighting age? Maybe she should go join the boyfriend before making judgments on others. Our Ukrainian guest has a friend who has a son, low 20s. He was outside of Ukraine when the war started and is not going back. He now has an English gf and you can see where things are heading!
Our guest is a complete patriot and is furious with him. Probably not helped by the fact her bf signed up on the first day of the war and has been injured.
Me, I’d like think I’d defend my country but in reality I don’t know.
I think another option needs to exist between fighting and running.
My answer would be no if the expectation was to be a front line troop and/or actively fight. I’m too old, untrained and unfit, makes no sense.
Would I support my country and those who are fighting by joining the military in another capacity, or else a humanitarian organization? Yes I would. I’ve worked in active war zones for a commercial entity so I’d expect to be able to work in a similar capacity both during the conflict and in post-conflict rebuilding.
My answer would be no if the expectation was to be a front line troop and/or actively fight. I’m too old, untrained and unfit, makes no sense.
Would I support my country and those who are fighting by joining the military in another capacity, or else a humanitarian organization? Yes I would. I’ve worked in active war zones for a commercial entity so I’d expect to be able to work in a similar capacity both during the conflict and in post-conflict rebuilding.
Edited by shirt on Sunday 5th May 09:17
shirt said:
I think another option needs to exist between fighting and running.
My answer would be no if the expectation was to be a front line troop and/or actively fight. I’m too old, untrained and unfit, makes no sense.
Would I support my country and those who are fighting by joining the military in another capacity, or else a humanitarian organization? Yes I would. I’ve worked in active war zones for a commercial entity so I’d expect to be able to work in a similar capacity both during the conflict and in post-conflict rebuilding.
It is a hypothetical question (unless you are Ukrainian and of conscription age). So you have to answer hypothetical. So clearly if you are too old you need to imagine you were a few years younger, Ukrainian and able to fight. The question is aimed at asking whether you would put your own safety first or put it at risk for the greater, collective good. My answer would be no if the expectation was to be a front line troop and/or actively fight. I’m too old, untrained and unfit, makes no sense.
Would I support my country and those who are fighting by joining the military in another capacity, or else a humanitarian organization? Yes I would. I’ve worked in active war zones for a commercial entity so I’d expect to be able to work in a similar capacity both during the conflict and in post-conflict rebuilding.
Edited by shirt on Sunday 5th May 09:17
I don’t know where I would stand. My grandfathers fought in WWI, my father and uncles fought in WWII and my brother was in NI during the troubles (and would have gone to the Falklands if he hadn’t crashed his car shortly beforehand). I even wanted to be in the RAF when I was growing up. Yet would I be willing to fight in such a conflict (with a seemingly very low chance of success) but with a reasonable chance of being killed or injured? I would like to think I would fight but worry that I would run.
Yea I understand the hypothesis.
If I were Russian I’d definitely run.
If I were Ukrainian the question is harder. I still think ultimately I would not want to be on the front line as killing people who don’t want to be there either would likely haunt me. My ideal scenario would be to work to help ordinary citizens within the conflict zone. I realize this sounds a cop out but my answer can’t help but be influenced by my career spent exclusively in the third world and partly within conflict and disaster zones. I don’t have an issue risking my safety to help where I can, but very much do when it comes to being told ‘just head that way and kill people’.
I have no idea as to how a 20 something Ukrainian feels politically, but if the question was changed to the uk when I was in my 20s, I would feel the same way. I was a naval reservist back then and came very close to joining full time but elected not to.
Side note: I live in Dubai and there are many here fleeing the war on both sides. Spoke with one Russian guy of fighting age about it. He said you had to make your decision quickly, sell everything and get out to anywhere that would take you.
If I were Russian I’d definitely run.
If I were Ukrainian the question is harder. I still think ultimately I would not want to be on the front line as killing people who don’t want to be there either would likely haunt me. My ideal scenario would be to work to help ordinary citizens within the conflict zone. I realize this sounds a cop out but my answer can’t help but be influenced by my career spent exclusively in the third world and partly within conflict and disaster zones. I don’t have an issue risking my safety to help where I can, but very much do when it comes to being told ‘just head that way and kill people’.
I have no idea as to how a 20 something Ukrainian feels politically, but if the question was changed to the uk when I was in my 20s, I would feel the same way. I was a naval reservist back then and came very close to joining full time but elected not to.
Side note: I live in Dubai and there are many here fleeing the war on both sides. Spoke with one Russian guy of fighting age about it. He said you had to make your decision quickly, sell everything and get out to anywhere that would take you.
Edited by shirt on Sunday 5th May 09:45
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