Where Have All The Men Gone?

There is a distinct lack of men in Russia these days. Where have they gone? It is no secret. Hundreds of thousands have been mobilized. To date over 300,000 have become casualties, including over 75,000 dead, in Putin's disastrous and immoral invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands more have fled the country because they do not want to fight or are agaisnt the war. Of course the ones who fled tend to be the better educated ones. Russian women complain about the lack of good men to date. 

All of the most reasonable guys are gone," said Tatiana, a 36-year-old Muscovite. 

Somewhat counter-intuitively there has been a marriage boom in Russia. The explanation for this is simple. If you are in a relationship and get drafted, it is beneficial to marry your girlfriend so that she gets spousal compensation when you are killed. Cold logic. 

If women were required to do military service the same as men, I wonder if there would be any wars. Men are often considered disposable. A son, husband or father who dies in battle is a hero. A daughter, wife or mother who dies in battle is a tragedy. Tatiana above wouldn't be worried so much about finding dates if she was drafted herself.