Slashdot Mirror
Ukraine's IT Brigade Supports the Troops
An anonymous reader sends this story from BusinessWeek:
Eight months ago, David Arakhamiya was running a small IT company in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv. Today, as an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, he oversees a massive crowdfunding effort that since March has raised about $300 million from ordinary citizens. The money is being used to equip Ukraine’s army with everything from uniforms, water, and other basic supplies to high-tech gear such as reconnaissance drones. Yaroslav Markevich, another IT entrepreneur with a small company in Kharkiv, once a Soviet hub for aviation technology, presented a plan to the commander of one Ukrainian battalion to create a drone unit after hearing stories about the efficiency of Russian drones. The commander said yes, and by the time his battalion was deployed early this summer, it was the only one in the army equipped with a fleet of short- and long-range drones. ... IT experts across Ukraine have been an important part of the volunteer effort to supply the army with equipment.
It is not just the numbers. Ukrainian army is a mess because Ukraine sold almost everything they have inherited from USSR during the last 20 years, the army is not trained, not equipped and the soldiers are often unwilling willing to die for corrupt politicians. The only reason why Ukraine is not overrun yet is that Putin is unwilling to use Russian army in this conflict because it might pull the deeply divided Ukrainian state together - policing a hateful, conquered population would be way too difficult.
Right now it is enough to fund the separatists and occasionally help them out. Ukrainian government will help to do the rest by shelling civilians and generally behaving like a bunch of idiots.
You see, that country is, in a way, similar to Pakistan in 1971. Has been a sovereign country for just about 20 years in its recent history, has artificially drawn borders by the former colonial power, is corrupt, piss-poor, divided inside and their neighbor tries to destabilise it even further. In 1971 these circumstances have lead to a bloody war and creation of Bangladesh. I just hope it won't end up as bloody this time.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
I like how this is the best you can come up with. I hate putin so I MUST love obama(?). Just another reason why russians are so stupid.
Russian behavior regarding Ukraine has been absolutely the WORST thing I've seen in recent times. It's expected from backwards primates like muslims in the ME, but from russia? Disappointing doesn't even begin to cover it. It's unforgivable.
Russia is completely in the wrong here, everything they say is fabricated to make them look like the good guy. Everything. If it's people were not helping to spread all the lies and hate from the state, I could maybe forgive that but that's not what I see.
I see and hear russians from all over the world spewing the same garbage. Fuck all of you, ww3 can't come fast enough. Sure lots will die, but I guarantee there will NO SUCH THING as russians after that war.