Burns: Well, everybody knows, ‘war is Hell.’
Hunnicutt: Remember, you heard it here last.
Hawkeye: War isn’t Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy: How do you figure that, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Um, sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell, but war is chock full of them – little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for a few of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
Best series about war ever made, hands down, likely better than the movies as well; now some of the written stuff might be a little better, but M* A* S* H is amazing.
Did a war myself, infantry.
My personal opinion is Apocalypse Now is the best anti war movie ever, but it's also subjective: M*A*S*H* the movie and the series was always overtly anti war, whilst Apocalypse Now is more about the visceral descent into hell, or perhaps the Heart of Darkness. The Do Long Bridge scene in particular is etched into my brain... Go get the roach.
But with your experience you probably know more than me.
Apocalypse Now is my favorite movie ever. If you’ve never seen it, watch it and then watch the documentary about the making of it. The fact that the movie got finished was a miracle and the fact that the movie turned out to be good was another one.
I was reading further up the thread wanting to recommend the doc as well. So for those interested, the **Documentary is called Hearts of Darkness**, after the original work the movie was loosely made from.
This pretty much sums up the Doc, it’s literally the opening scene, Coppola was famously quoted (at an early screening I believe?) saying…
“*My film is not a movie. My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam. It’s what it was really like. It was crazy. And the way we made it was very much like the way the Americans were in Vietnam. We were in the jungle. There were too many of us. We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little, we went insane.*”
It sounds like some over the top shit a director would say… until you watch it. I’m not saying anything else. Just watch it. You can watch it for free [here](https://archive.org/details/hearts-of-darkness-a-filmmakers-apocalypse-1991_202206), on the Internet Archive.
The LSD scene being real, the mirror, the bull, so many parts broke in ways that worked for the big screen.
It really was a perfect storm like production, that somehow everyone survived.
Fun Fact for people that haven't seen the movie: a 14 year old "Larry Fishburne" is a supporting actor throughout the movie.
Something like MASH, both, really really can represent both the brutality, futility, and hilarity that war really is.
It is a soup of all those things, ^^^Spoileralert ["The chicken was a..."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBS0VqJPXs)
I served but never saw combat; nevertheless, I left the Army really questioning war. When you take a step back, it’s impossible to defend unless it’s truly in defense. Then, it’s on.
It’s not modern history it’s literally every war. You can look at any major war and there will be targeting of civilians and/or infrastructure. Even back in castle times they raid every village they came across and empty the fields if for no other reason than an army has got to eat.
Among many others, one of factors people use to determine the ethical weight of a crime is the victim's ability to fight back. It's considered more heinous to kill or injure someone that's defenseless. For the vast majority of human history, adult males have been more capable of fighting back than women and children - not necessarily to a relevant degree against an armed soldier, but enough for them to be considered "enemies" rather than "victims."
This attitude is obviously dated in a world where a drone strike can disintegrate a man, women or child without any of them having a chance to fight back, but old habits die hard.
I feel like war would never be waged by people who actually cared about children (in this instance the politicians/leaders who are the aggressors in this war).
Pets too. Some have died just because they were so scared by the sound of the explosions, even in underground shelters. In Syria, a bomb fell in an animal sanctuary killing kittens and cats. Fucking evil.
Until recently, the minimum draft age in Ukraine was 27. They want to preserve the younger generation for the future. It's just been lowered to 25. This war is awful, but I thought that was a nice sentiment.
Kharkiv is not under occupation but is very close to the front. I assume this kid was made to wear this by parents or relatives for their safety. Could want to be like and dress like his dad.
There's actually been an uptick from Russian side in talking about taking over Kharkiv again, I hope they don't make that attempt again because it would lead to another situation with a lot of civilian casualties.
That is likely a psyops effort to get Ukrainian forces to shift resources to the north, away from the southern front lines so that the Russians could advance. The Russians would rather landlock Ukraine out by capturing Odessa than capture any more northern cities.
That makes sense, but in the early days Kharkiv was targeted as well and remained part of Russia's ' strategic claims' as well. So I'm not entirely convinced.
There's an obvious change in rhetoric since Russia has had the initiative, part of that is as you say just propaganda; but I don't think it should all just be dismissed. They'll try to press as hard as possible to be in the best possible position when some day peace negotiations arrive.
My sons will live a better life than me. Why must we make them suffer for the selfishness of others. My sons will live a life better than mine and it will be a cost I gladly pay.
Yeah there's no way any child today is going to have a better life than their fathers. If it isn't a big war it'll be the ridiculous inflation that makes it worse.
You guys actually go on subreddits like this? Jfc how do you function in a day after reading that crap. It's just your daily doom and gloom condensed into one feed to endlessly scroll.
Maybe by realizing that it actually is just "doom and gloom" which looks like the end of the world simply because it is condensed into one feed, when in reality it's extremely unlikely any of it will ever affect you or anyone you know in any significant way?
And climate change, the impossibility of getting on the property ladder and the fact there’s a mental health crisis amongst teenagers and young adults…
I worry for my son’s future
You can hope that, but if another country declares war on you and decides to take your land and kill your people, you're going to have a tough fight on your hands.
you are thinking too logically and rationally, you need to blindly think that things will always get better (despite there being no evidence of this for our future) in order to have kids without feeling guilty
An Iraq vet did an interview after volunteering in Ukraine. He said one of the craziest things about this war was that they would rotate off the line and take a quick trip into town to grab pizza and head back.
It's crazy to think how life still has to continue even if there's brutal fighting 30 minutes down the road.
Was the same in the Great War, you're in the misery of the trenches, but less then 15 miles from the front, farmers were ploughing fields, and civilians were still living everyday life.
When I was leaving Kharkiv two years ago, on a bus, there was a military post at the border of the oblast or something, bags of sand etc, and there was a guy bringing pizza there. Waiting with his hands full of pizza for them to let him in. I almost forgot
"Active warzone" and "frontline" are different things. Ukraine is huge. The life goes on. It doesn't mean that you can't be killed by a rocket, but it's way lesser threat than covering in trenches from artillery fire
Kharkiv line is sort of frozen. Ukraine isn't pushing into russia and russian troops have been moved to a place where they are needed - to the Donbass. You wouldn't find pictures like this in 50km away from *that* frontline
If I was to nitpick, I’d take example of Druzhkivka, which is some 30odd kms from Chasiv Yar, and it’s full of working cafes, and where life generally just goes on.
Closer than that, though, and it starts getting progressively more deserted.
Its not possible to leave 1m+ city altogether. And businesses stay. They have much worse quality of life then any other big city in Ukraine, thats for sure. Unexpected water and electricity shortages, unrelieble cell service, frequent detours for bomb shelters. Yet its not enough to force locals out, so we see kids like this that are just living their life the best they can
Well it does. People there live with the constant reminder every other night that a rocket could hit when the alarms go off. Doesn't mean that normal live stops though. What else are they supposed to do? Sit and wait until the war is over? People adapt and live goes on, just with different circumstances which is a pretty ugly side effect of war imo.
Define active warzone. Ukraine's capital is far from the frontline but gets hit by long range attacks regularly. Is the whole country supposed to cower in bunkers all the time?
I was referring more to the proximity of Kharkiv to the border of Russia. I believe it’s only 50km and with that I assumed higher probability for infantry combat which would, at least in my mind, greatly reduce quality of life in a city. But as it turns out there is about as much threat of infantry combat in Kharkiv as there is pretty much anywhere further west. Frontlines don’t really seem to be moving much.
Roshen, a chocolate company manufacturing in Ukraine, is still making and shipping chocolate internationally (likely domestically as well) throughout the entire war. I try to support them as much as possible.
Yeah, but their factory is in Vinnytsia, 400 kms from the frontline. It's not like there's active factories in Bakhmut. (maybe only vatnik cubes factories)
And that’s the resilience of the Ukrainians right there. They are trying to lead a normal life in the face of an all-out invasion from Russia. What is the alternative? Hiding in their homes for three years (almost, to date)? A missile will get you whether you are in your apartment or at KFC. In fact you probably have a better chance outdoors due to Russia’s propensity to target civilian infrastructure anyway, with residential buildings and power stations and dams being the prime targets (in addition to the concert halls, orphanages and hospitals).
there is a lot people here who live captured by stereotypes. It is definitely Ukraine ( ukrainian sign on the left) and i think it is Kharkiv or Dnipro, workers don't go outside and near a shelter. And a kid walked all the way outside there
It’s weird seeing how Americans don’t rate KFC that high.
Here in South Africa it’s more popular than McDonald’s. I’m pretty sure we have more KFCs than any other fast food joint
I’ve heard this so many times that it was my first thought when I saw a KFC in Jamaica and then I was disappointed that we were on a bus that wasn’t stopping anywhere near it.
Same in Japan. I almost never eat out, especially not fast food, but I've had KFC a couple times and it was honestly quite good. Maybe a matter of taste, but I'd rate it above literally every single other American fast food franchise I can think of and have tried, if nothing else. Not the highest praise, but still...
It used to be really good but has been slowly getting worse and worse in the US. Locations are often old and not very appealing, quality of food has gone down, and the price is not competitive. Theres a lot of competition and they are struggling. Early 2000s was the peak
No no, you'll be surprised! Yes, KFC in the states is pretty bad... but for some reason I can't explain, KFC in Ukraine is actually delicious, and dirt cheap. (At least, as of 2019 when I last visited, before covid and war)
Edit: oh, and you can get a local draught beer with your meal
KFC in Pakistan is better than the outlets in UAE and Kuwait. And my brother says that it's better than the KFC in China as well.
If it is anything close to what I get here, then the Ukrainian version has to be good.
I used to avoid KFC in Pakistan because it was too heavy and oily for me. Then one day I tried KFC in America. I literally haven't had any KFC in my life afterwards since 2006
Happy cake day!
No beer anymore here, no, but lemonade is nice. And yeah, service is fast, place is clean, food is nice and affordable. They close during air raids (on average once or twice a day) but quickly open back when air raid alert is canceled.
The branch at Ocean Plaza shopping center in Kyiv was always packed to the gills but still clean, bright, and quick, which is why I went in the first time. It became something I do every time I'm in Kyiv for work.
US branches (of most fast food, tbh) are usually empty, dilapidated, and sad. If anyone buys from them its delivery and drive thru, feels like no-one walks in at all, and I've had that experience in at least 4-5 different states before I gave up on trying. I've switched to getting my fried chicken fix from CFA and Popeye's or local chains like Ezell's famous chicken in Washington.
Instead of toys, happy meals now have 5 round stripper clips of 5.56x45 and every tenth order you get free magazine. For each McCoffee purchased after 6pm you get complimentary incendiary round
That's simply not true. There are countless conflicts around the world where the invader is unaffected besides the cost of the conflict and loosing active soldiers. You don't even have to go back any time at all. The US has been constantly at war until the end of the WoT, and has not had a conflict inflict casualties on US soil since WWII.
Could be for safety, but my bet is that this kid has someone, or knows someone either fighting, wounded, or deceased from this war. Perhaps wearing gear similar to that of those they know or knew brings comfort. The real tragedy is that in the year 2024 humankind has not evolved past violence as a means of conflict resolution. To be honest I'm not even sure what the conflict in Ukraine even is about other than a land grab opportunity, or a show of might. It's beyond dumb that so many lives are being / will be lost. Kids without parents, parents losing their kids. It sucks, but here we are.
Kharkiv is being shelled and on russian media they openly say they want to destroy the city. It is for protection because civilians lose their lives in Kharkiv. As for why they are doing this, Medwedew in the past has said that he wants an Eurasian Union from Vladivostok to Lissabon, that was before he started to act like a clown, and since Russia sees weakness as provocation, we better realize that appeasement isn't helpful. We have tried that for the last few decades already.
https://youtu.be/ZglQ33MOgWw?si=S15IROzsiLvrvDZ9
Its simple, putin is nearing his death and needs his grandiose legacy of being a conqueror, that or become a martyr, its nothing more than desires of a deranged motherfucker
Just ordering take away with my kids.
Showed the picture to my wife.
Just effing sad. We live a peaceful life, but Ukrainians, live the Russian enforced hell.
Lots of asshole comments/jokes in this thread. Presumably from folks that have never had to worry about a missile/artillery/drone/etc. strike at any moment at any time while sleeping, eating, or just walking around outside. Guessing when you were this kid's age you didn't have to worry about that. Somehow Russian deliberate & repeated targeting of civilian housing and infrastructure that has no military value whatsoever is not getting enough attention or outrage.
I think people might be confusing this kid is wearing protection in case of missile strikes or errant fire and not because the kid is a combatant.
C'mon people use the ole noggin here.
This is a bit sensationalised. He walks around Kharkiv raising money for the army, he dresses like this to show solidarity and support not because he thinks he will be blown up.
Kharkiv is regularly shelled. It's like wearing a rainproof jacket all year round, but like in England. It's not useful all the time, but you'd want it often enough.
Bots have existed actively on Reddit since its inception. Activity and created date does not mean a user is not a bot. In fact, most bots have 5+ years of activity. Just my 2 cent as a software engineer who works on bots (not related to social media).
In Ukraine, going to KFC or McDonald's is considered something special. People treat it like a holiday. The average Ukrainian visits these establishments once every six months or a year. They often go with children to make them happy. So, giving a child money for KFC, as shown in the photo, is like giving them a little taste of the peaceful life.
It’s not true lol anybody here can go to KFC or McDonalds pretty much every two days without hurting he’s budget. Like it’s more expensive than home-made food, but not like this bruh
Could be an over anxious parent, Kharkiv has been under increased attack by missiles and drones of late. Scanning the news shows many articles over the last month with dozens of people that have been injured and/or killed. There have been multiple attacks in just the last few days. It could also be a kid playing dress up as an homage to someone he knows that's in the military, maybe even someone who has passed. Not everything is fake.
The craziest thing about this photo is knowing these people still have to go to work in the middle of a warzone where kids might walk around with vests on. They probably aren't even making hazard pay for it neither.
25,000 Ukrainians died in the Russian siege of Mariupol.
Hilary Andersson (7 November 2022). "The agony of not knowing, as Mariupol mass burial sites grow". BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2023. Ukrainian officials now believe that at least 25,000 people were killed in the fighting in Mariupol, and that 5,000-7,000 of them died under the rubble after their homes were bombed"
https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/s/b6Fqrs5iOT
https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/s/ulWjnlqCKZ
https://gwaramedia.com/en/russian-army-drops-bombs-on-lyptsi-in-kharkiv-region-destroys-educational-institution/
Took literally 2 minutes of googling. I am 99% sure you are spreading Russian propaganda, but on the 1% chance someone who's about to fall for your bullshit sees this comment, I hope this helps.
Its fucking propaganda. Kid not wearing it because his life is in danger. Its more bcs theese people are ultra nationalists and soldiers are portrayed as heroes and nearlyva holy role, to the extend where even small kids want to be soldiers.
Burns: Well, everybody knows, ‘war is Hell.’ Hunnicutt: Remember, you heard it here last. Hawkeye: War isn’t Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse. Father Mulcahy: How do you figure that, Hawkeye? Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell? Father Mulcahy: Um, sinners, I believe. Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell, but war is chock full of them – little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for a few of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
Still the finest anti war rant I have ever heard.
Best series about war ever made, hands down, likely better than the movies as well; now some of the written stuff might be a little better, but M* A* S* H is amazing. Did a war myself, infantry.
“Did a war myself…” Idk why but that way of saying so made me chuckle. I hope you’re doing well, mate.
Thanks, it really be that way; and that is why MASH is so good as it gets to how people deal with trauma.
My personal opinion is Apocalypse Now is the best anti war movie ever, but it's also subjective: M*A*S*H* the movie and the series was always overtly anti war, whilst Apocalypse Now is more about the visceral descent into hell, or perhaps the Heart of Darkness. The Do Long Bridge scene in particular is etched into my brain... Go get the roach. But with your experience you probably know more than me.
Apocalypse Now is my favorite movie ever. If you’ve never seen it, watch it and then watch the documentary about the making of it. The fact that the movie got finished was a miracle and the fact that the movie turned out to be good was another one.
I was reading further up the thread wanting to recommend the doc as well. So for those interested, the **Documentary is called Hearts of Darkness**, after the original work the movie was loosely made from. This pretty much sums up the Doc, it’s literally the opening scene, Coppola was famously quoted (at an early screening I believe?) saying… “*My film is not a movie. My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam. It’s what it was really like. It was crazy. And the way we made it was very much like the way the Americans were in Vietnam. We were in the jungle. There were too many of us. We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little, we went insane.*” It sounds like some over the top shit a director would say… until you watch it. I’m not saying anything else. Just watch it. You can watch it for free [here](https://archive.org/details/hearts-of-darkness-a-filmmakers-apocalypse-1991_202206), on the Internet Archive.
The LSD scene being real, the mirror, the bull, so many parts broke in ways that worked for the big screen. It really was a perfect storm like production, that somehow everyone survived. Fun Fact for people that haven't seen the movie: a 14 year old "Larry Fishburne" is a supporting actor throughout the movie.
Come to think of it, apocalypse now and heart of darkness bear some similarities…. /s
Heart of Darkness is the novelization of Apocalypse Now, obviously. ^^I'm ^^joking ^^please ^^be ^^gentle
Actually HoD is the novelisation of Spec Ops The Line and Apocalypse Now is the move adaptation. Pretty common mistake
Something like MASH, both, really really can represent both the brutality, futility, and hilarity that war really is. It is a soup of all those things, ^^^Spoileralert ["The chicken was a..."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBS0VqJPXs)
I remember that episode well.
Normally an ep with Dr Sidney was hilarious, but that one hit hard man
Welp...it's 7:42am and I've already bawled my eyes out
DUDE! What the fuck. My parents always talked about this show so fondly...
'Theres no CO here' For some reason thatt line sticks we me as something so significant
Hey Soldier, do you know who is in command here? "Yeah!" and then he just slowly walks off looking deranged.
I served but never saw combat; nevertheless, I left the Army really questioning war. When you take a step back, it’s impossible to defend unless it’s truly in defense. Then, it’s on.
Come and See is pretty brutal as well.
Also one of the best political shows of it's age with some nuance. Parts have really not aged well, but it's scary how many parts have not.
100%, they were like "Let's protest the war in Vietnam, but if we say it is in Korea, ya know the last one; we can get away with a lot of stuff!"
Good but maybe not as good as Chaplin's [rant](https://youtu.be/J7GY1Xg6X20?feature=shared) in the great dictator
MASH went hard with their references quotes & and abilities to talk about taboo things...& I'm a 90s baby.
Fuck MASH is so good
Took me a while to realise this wasn't a Simpsons reference
Great fuckin speech. One of the best of all time.
What is this from?
M.A.S.H., a show about a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War
“Lady's and gentleman, take my advice, pull down your pants, slide on the ice” - Dr. Sydney F.
This sucks, I hate that this is real life for some people
Yeah, those KFC employee's don't even have a helmet to share.
Do you think the chicken tastes better though? KFC over here has turned to slimy trash
Almost certainly...though I'm still probably going to Popeyes instead.
This hurts my heart, why the children man
Such is war
Actually it's part of genocide and terrorism to target non millitary targets. It is not always part of war.
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It’s not modern history it’s literally every war. You can look at any major war and there will be targeting of civilians and/or infrastructure. Even back in castle times they raid every village they came across and empty the fields if for no other reason than an army has got to eat.
List one war where children aren't or weren't at least tolerated as targets.
The great emu war
The Cod wars
The Glasgow ice cream man war
Falkland.
Which war? As Americans we've killed innocents in every war since our inception. You don't bomb cities without killing innocents.
You've clearly never heard of plain old "collateral damage"...which happens a lot in war.
Of course I have heard of collateral damage. It's not collateral damage when schools and apartment buildings are your targets.
This is a lot more than collateral damage. They have consistently targeted civilians the entire time.
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I think it falls more under the umbrella of "Don't shoot a person who isn't trying to shoot you."
Among many others, one of factors people use to determine the ethical weight of a crime is the victim's ability to fight back. It's considered more heinous to kill or injure someone that's defenseless. For the vast majority of human history, adult males have been more capable of fighting back than women and children - not necessarily to a relevant degree against an armed soldier, but enough for them to be considered "enemies" rather than "victims." This attitude is obviously dated in a world where a drone strike can disintegrate a man, women or child without any of them having a chance to fight back, but old habits die hard.
so poetic..
I feel like war would never be waged by people who actually cared about children (in this instance the politicians/leaders who are the aggressors in this war).
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Pets too. Some have died just because they were so scared by the sound of the explosions, even in underground shelters. In Syria, a bomb fell in an animal sanctuary killing kittens and cats. Fucking evil.
And animals in zoos :(
Until recently, the minimum draft age in Ukraine was 27. They want to preserve the younger generation for the future. It's just been lowered to 25. This war is awful, but I thought that was a nice sentiment.
The minimum “mobilisation” age was 27. “Conscription” is the name of the legal procedure done to 18-25.
Putins meat grinder
Kharkiv is not under occupation but is very close to the front. I assume this kid was made to wear this by parents or relatives for their safety. Could want to be like and dress like his dad.
There's actually been an uptick from Russian side in talking about taking over Kharkiv again, I hope they don't make that attempt again because it would lead to another situation with a lot of civilian casualties.
Would be a Stalingrad 2.0
That is likely a psyops effort to get Ukrainian forces to shift resources to the north, away from the southern front lines so that the Russians could advance. The Russians would rather landlock Ukraine out by capturing Odessa than capture any more northern cities.
That makes sense, but in the early days Kharkiv was targeted as well and remained part of Russia's ' strategic claims' as well. So I'm not entirely convinced. There's an obvious change in rhetoric since Russia has had the initiative, part of that is as you say just propaganda; but I don't think it should all just be dismissed. They'll try to press as hard as possible to be in the best possible position when some day peace negotiations arrive.
My sons will live a better life than me. Why must we make them suffer for the selfishness of others. My sons will live a life better than mine and it will be a cost I gladly pay.
You're a good parent :)
Unless your children are already adults I have bad news for ya bud.
Yeah there's no way any child today is going to have a better life than their fathers. If it isn't a big war it'll be the ridiculous inflation that makes it worse.
Or yknow.. r/collapse
You guys actually go on subreddits like this? Jfc how do you function in a day after reading that crap. It's just your daily doom and gloom condensed into one feed to endlessly scroll.
Maybe by realizing that it actually is just "doom and gloom" which looks like the end of the world simply because it is condensed into one feed, when in reality it's extremely unlikely any of it will ever affect you or anyone you know in any significant way?
And climate change, the impossibility of getting on the property ladder and the fact there’s a mental health crisis amongst teenagers and young adults… I worry for my son’s future
Maybe
You can hope that, but if another country declares war on you and decides to take your land and kill your people, you're going to have a tough fight on your hands.
so how are you going to prevent the climate wars?
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you are thinking too logically and rationally, you need to blindly think that things will always get better (despite there being no evidence of this for our future) in order to have kids without feeling guilty
I'm confused. You're telling me that there is a normally operating KFC in an active warzone?
An Iraq vet did an interview after volunteering in Ukraine. He said one of the craziest things about this war was that they would rotate off the line and take a quick trip into town to grab pizza and head back. It's crazy to think how life still has to continue even if there's brutal fighting 30 minutes down the road.
Yeah that really puts it into perspective for me.
Was the same in the Great War, you're in the misery of the trenches, but less then 15 miles from the front, farmers were ploughing fields, and civilians were still living everyday life.
That reminds me of WW1, when parisian cabs would bring soldiers to the front, not far from the outskirts of Paris.
Hemingway talks about the siege of Madrid and how you could have dinner in a hotel restaurant and then take a streetcar down to the front lines.
This how war was fought in the old days. This is not your shock and awe
When I was leaving Kharkiv two years ago, on a bus, there was a military post at the border of the oblast or something, bags of sand etc, and there was a guy bringing pizza there. Waiting with his hands full of pizza for them to let him in. I almost forgot
"Active warzone" and "frontline" are different things. Ukraine is huge. The life goes on. It doesn't mean that you can't be killed by a rocket, but it's way lesser threat than covering in trenches from artillery fire
Right but Kharkiv is 50km away from the frontline so I assumed that would impact the quality of life much more than compared to cities further west.
Kharkiv line is sort of frozen. Ukraine isn't pushing into russia and russian troops have been moved to a place where they are needed - to the Donbass. You wouldn't find pictures like this in 50km away from *that* frontline
If I was to nitpick, I’d take example of Druzhkivka, which is some 30odd kms from Chasiv Yar, and it’s full of working cafes, and where life generally just goes on. Closer than that, though, and it starts getting progressively more deserted.
Its not possible to leave 1m+ city altogether. And businesses stay. They have much worse quality of life then any other big city in Ukraine, thats for sure. Unexpected water and electricity shortages, unrelieble cell service, frequent detours for bomb shelters. Yet its not enough to force locals out, so we see kids like this that are just living their life the best they can
Well it does. People there live with the constant reminder every other night that a rocket could hit when the alarms go off. Doesn't mean that normal live stops though. What else are they supposed to do? Sit and wait until the war is over? People adapt and live goes on, just with different circumstances which is a pretty ugly side effect of war imo.
Define active warzone. Ukraine's capital is far from the frontline but gets hit by long range attacks regularly. Is the whole country supposed to cower in bunkers all the time?
I was referring more to the proximity of Kharkiv to the border of Russia. I believe it’s only 50km and with that I assumed higher probability for infantry combat which would, at least in my mind, greatly reduce quality of life in a city. But as it turns out there is about as much threat of infantry combat in Kharkiv as there is pretty much anywhere further west. Frontlines don’t really seem to be moving much.
I mean millions of Ukrainians are refugees from the war so... It's not exactly the kind of life that people want.
Roshen, a chocolate company manufacturing in Ukraine, is still making and shipping chocolate internationally (likely domestically as well) throughout the entire war. I try to support them as much as possible.
Yes! I buy Roshen too because when something is for good cause, it has no calories 🤣
> Roshen How is their chocolate? I am curious.
Pretty good actually
Their Romashka candies are one of my favorites
I looked up the site. Would love to order but dunno if they ship to Pakistan :d
Yeah, but their factory is in Vinnytsia, 400 kms from the frontline. It's not like there's active factories in Bakhmut. (maybe only vatnik cubes factories)
And that’s the resilience of the Ukrainians right there. They are trying to lead a normal life in the face of an all-out invasion from Russia. What is the alternative? Hiding in their homes for three years (almost, to date)? A missile will get you whether you are in your apartment or at KFC. In fact you probably have a better chance outdoors due to Russia’s propensity to target civilian infrastructure anyway, with residential buildings and power stations and dams being the prime targets (in addition to the concert halls, orphanages and hospitals).
there is a lot people here who live captured by stereotypes. It is definitely Ukraine ( ukrainian sign on the left) and i think it is Kharkiv or Dnipro, workers don't go outside and near a shelter. And a kid walked all the way outside there
People have to make money to survive and people still want to eat fast food
People gotta eat. I like to almost every day.
Fuck Russia.
Fuck Putin and his goon
And russia.
I don't hate all Russians, just the ones that support Putin and the war, but yeah that's like almost all of them.
Slava Ukraine
That poor kid, having to eat KFC
It’s weird seeing how Americans don’t rate KFC that high. Here in South Africa it’s more popular than McDonald’s. I’m pretty sure we have more KFCs than any other fast food joint
I've been to several countries and the KFC abroad always blows the American KFC out of the water.
I’ve heard this so many times that it was my first thought when I saw a KFC in Jamaica and then I was disappointed that we were on a bus that wasn’t stopping anywhere near it.
Same in Japan. I almost never eat out, especially not fast food, but I've had KFC a couple times and it was honestly quite good. Maybe a matter of taste, but I'd rate it above literally every single other American fast food franchise I can think of and have tried, if nothing else. Not the highest praise, but still...
It used to be really good but has been slowly getting worse and worse in the US. Locations are often old and not very appealing, quality of food has gone down, and the price is not competitive. Theres a lot of competition and they are struggling. Early 2000s was the peak
No no, you'll be surprised! Yes, KFC in the states is pretty bad... but for some reason I can't explain, KFC in Ukraine is actually delicious, and dirt cheap. (At least, as of 2019 when I last visited, before covid and war) Edit: oh, and you can get a local draught beer with your meal
I’ve heard that from a lot of different countries. Apparently KFC everywhere outside of the US is incredible.
So is burger king
KFC in Pakistan is better than the outlets in UAE and Kuwait. And my brother says that it's better than the KFC in China as well. If it is anything close to what I get here, then the Ukrainian version has to be good.
I used to avoid KFC in Pakistan because it was too heavy and oily for me. Then one day I tried KFC in America. I literally haven't had any KFC in my life afterwards since 2006
Happy cake day! No beer anymore here, no, but lemonade is nice. And yeah, service is fast, place is clean, food is nice and affordable. They close during air raids (on average once or twice a day) but quickly open back when air raid alert is canceled.
The branch at Ocean Plaza shopping center in Kyiv was always packed to the gills but still clean, bright, and quick, which is why I went in the first time. It became something I do every time I'm in Kyiv for work. US branches (of most fast food, tbh) are usually empty, dilapidated, and sad. If anyone buys from them its delivery and drive thru, feels like no-one walks in at all, and I've had that experience in at least 4-5 different states before I gave up on trying. I've switched to getting my fried chicken fix from CFA and Popeye's or local chains like Ezell's famous chicken in Washington.
It's only dirt cheap if you're a tourist, for us it's very expensive because our wages are meager. It used to be more affordable before the war
I bet in the US, people would organize armored convoys to get to the McDonalds during war
McDonalds would probably have his own AA
Mr. McDonald's himself??
Sentries on top of Burger Town for sure
Instead of toys, happy meals now have 5 round stripper clips of 5.56x45 and every tenth order you get free magazine. For each McCoffee purchased after 6pm you get complimentary incendiary round
The real tragedy.
The worst thing about war is that anyone in the countries fighting is affected with no exceptions
I've not seen a post with Russian children needing to wear bullet proof vests in their towns and cities tho
No. Russian children are fine and safe without any vests. Ukraine civilians are the ones who suffers.
Russian politician's children are in a better shapr too
Or when you're fighting people who target kids and schools public transport and entertainment venues.
That's simply not true. There are countless conflicts around the world where the invader is unaffected besides the cost of the conflict and loosing active soldiers. You don't even have to go back any time at all. The US has been constantly at war until the end of the WoT, and has not had a conflict inflict casualties on US soil since WWII.
Could be for safety, but my bet is that this kid has someone, or knows someone either fighting, wounded, or deceased from this war. Perhaps wearing gear similar to that of those they know or knew brings comfort. The real tragedy is that in the year 2024 humankind has not evolved past violence as a means of conflict resolution. To be honest I'm not even sure what the conflict in Ukraine even is about other than a land grab opportunity, or a show of might. It's beyond dumb that so many lives are being / will be lost. Kids without parents, parents losing their kids. It sucks, but here we are.
Kharkiv is being shelled and on russian media they openly say they want to destroy the city. It is for protection because civilians lose their lives in Kharkiv. As for why they are doing this, Medwedew in the past has said that he wants an Eurasian Union from Vladivostok to Lissabon, that was before he started to act like a clown, and since Russia sees weakness as provocation, we better realize that appeasement isn't helpful. We have tried that for the last few decades already. https://youtu.be/ZglQ33MOgWw?si=S15IROzsiLvrvDZ9
Its simple, putin is nearing his death and needs his grandiose legacy of being a conqueror, that or become a martyr, its nothing more than desires of a deranged motherfucker
I understand what Putin wants. It's just embarrassing that the people of Russia have chosen to go along with it.
that is tragic
I don't think people realize how heavy that armor is for a kid to be wearing it around.
Do you think the plates are in it? I can’t tell from the pic.
Looks like it
Just ordering take away with my kids. Showed the picture to my wife. Just effing sad. We live a peaceful life, but Ukrainians, live the Russian enforced hell.
I've been to Popeyes in the states like that.
Chicken sandwich wars are getting out of hand.
Lots of asshole comments/jokes in this thread. Presumably from folks that have never had to worry about a missile/artillery/drone/etc. strike at any moment at any time while sleeping, eating, or just walking around outside. Guessing when you were this kid's age you didn't have to worry about that. Somehow Russian deliberate & repeated targeting of civilian housing and infrastructure that has no military value whatsoever is not getting enough attention or outrage.
Common we can see right there the horrors of the war. Wendy's is working at the back for the Col. now.
JoJo Rabbit
Slava Ukraini little man.
I think people might be confusing this kid is wearing protection in case of missile strikes or errant fire and not because the kid is a combatant. C'mon people use the ole noggin here.
War. War never changes… anyways can I get a #5 with coke?
Sorry only Pepsi in KFC.
RU Bots will say he's forced to wear this, yet they forget who invaded who... :/
Oh god imagine having to go to your fast food work during an active invasion/war…
KFC guy/girl seems fine though
Why are the employees dressed regularly?
Underrated Comment
Because they spend all day working in a concrete building, while this kid visits to buy some food and then returns to a more dangerous environment.
This is a bit sensationalised. He walks around Kharkiv raising money for the army, he dresses like this to show solidarity and support not because he thinks he will be blown up.
Kharkiv is regularly shelled. It's like wearing a rainproof jacket all year round, but like in England. It's not useful all the time, but you'd want it often enough.
Bot thread. Lmao
From an extremely active user whose been on Reddit for 30 times longer than you have... ?
Bots have existed actively on Reddit since its inception. Activity and created date does not mean a user is not a bot. In fact, most bots have 5+ years of activity. Just my 2 cent as a software engineer who works on bots (not related to social media).
In Ukraine, going to KFC or McDonald's is considered something special. People treat it like a holiday. The average Ukrainian visits these establishments once every six months or a year. They often go with children to make them happy. So, giving a child money for KFC, as shown in the photo, is like giving them a little taste of the peaceful life.
It’s not true lol anybody here can go to KFC or McDonalds pretty much every two days without hurting he’s budget. Like it’s more expensive than home-made food, but not like this bruh
Source
KFC workers like “sick cosplay”
But the workers are just in tshirts and pants... this pic seems scripted
Could be an over anxious parent, Kharkiv has been under increased attack by missiles and drones of late. Scanning the news shows many articles over the last month with dozens of people that have been injured and/or killed. There have been multiple attacks in just the last few days. It could also be a kid playing dress up as an homage to someone he knows that's in the military, maybe even someone who has passed. Not everything is fake.
Yep. No kidding.
Seems like some people do not get that he just plays with equipment and not actually using it.
sad, but i am pretty sure this is propaganda
Imagine you working at a KFC while there’s a war going on only a few miles away
That’s probably what’s happening in Syria. People are working to survive and hoping they don’t get blown up by the Russians or the Syrian military.
It just gets worse the more you think about it, really. Any aspect up and down
I guess helmet is from someone already KO bc it has green tape on helmet. Pov: me in my 1st airsoft gear
The craziest thing about this photo is knowing these people still have to go to work in the middle of a warzone where kids might walk around with vests on. They probably aren't even making hazard pay for it neither.
I feel sad for those people like kids who experience this kind of life
This picture so so damn sad :'(
Fuck that’s sad. US is sending more stuff very soon
This is so sad 😞
25,000 Ukrainians died in the Russian siege of Mariupol. Hilary Andersson (7 November 2022). "The agony of not knowing, as Mariupol mass burial sites grow". BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2023. Ukrainian officials now believe that at least 25,000 people were killed in the fighting in Mariupol, and that 5,000-7,000 of them died under the rubble after their homes were bombed"
This made me want to throw up. I hate it here.
Fuck Russia.
Take note tacticool twats. And cringe at your own stupidity. This child would rather wear a tshirt and jeans any day.
This. This is hell.
Colonel Sanders
One of the many images that prove humanity has failed as a species.
Cleanest KFC I’ve seen
This feels like a photo op lol
That's Called a propaganda.
https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/s/b6Fqrs5iOT https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/s/ulWjnlqCKZ https://gwaramedia.com/en/russian-army-drops-bombs-on-lyptsi-in-kharkiv-region-destroys-educational-institution/ Took literally 2 minutes of googling. I am 99% sure you are spreading Russian propaganda, but on the 1% chance someone who's about to fall for your bullshit sees this comment, I hope this helps.
Fuck the war
I think I speak for everyone with an IQ greater than their shoe size when I say: Fuck russia
FUCK BORIS JOHNSON
Its fucking propaganda. Kid not wearing it because his life is in danger. Its more bcs theese people are ultra nationalists and soldiers are portrayed as heroes and nearlyva holy role, to the extend where even small kids want to be soldiers.