According to a Washington Post report, Ukrainian officials are using face-scanning software from a US tech company to help identify dead Russian soldiers — and then sending the photos of those corpses to their family members. CNN's Don Lemon discusses with John McLaughlin, former acting director of the CIA, and Col. Liam Collins, former defense adviser to Ukraine. #CNN #News
‘A little over the top’: Fmr. acting CIA chief on how Russians could view Ukraine’s new tactic
Good, at least the families will know what the heck happened to their kids
Social media posts of families asking what happened to their relatives on board of the Moskva were deleted by Russian authorities…How else will these mothers know where their sons are?
Love the idea, it’s both a humanitarian one, an offensive idea, and defensive. It gives the family closure, breeds Russia resentment, and helps to destroy the false narrative Putin is creating. Well played
REPORT & DEBUNK RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA TROLLS
Well said. Knowledge of the war dead is a blessing to families and a curse to Russian propagandists.
I find that some Ukrainians might see the invasion, shelling the civil districts etc etc a little bit over the top and slightly macabre.
@Shawn Murray In war…you have to dig just a little bit deeper than the enemies capability…advising family of soldiers deaths is a respectful thing…. it has always been that way.
Too true. This guy is sitting safely in an office. Say what? I can’t hear you…
I completely disagree. Mothers want to know. Russia is not telling them anything.
@sexy boy 69 Don’t believe Russian internet trolls
Same happened for casualties aboard the Moskva…Russian authorities even deleted facebook posts of mothers asking about their sons…
100% although it can be misunderstood it will end the suffering of mothers who will likely get no answer from putin & be left to suffer wondering forever! Some type of closure is actually a blessing when the alternative is none!
Might help to have the notices written or phoned by Ukrainian mothers.
Not only were their sons killed in the Ukraine but their bodies were left behind by the Russian army. Their parent should be shocked by both, and start asking questions about their government.
@bkanegson Russian bots don’t respond back
@Tomak Patek funny you bring up Nazis.. that’s what Putin is trying to get rid of in Ukraine.. the irony
@Rob P can you please keep on the topic?
@Burning Questions sorry that my free speech hurts your feelings, I’m sure you’ll report me and I’ll be blocked.. that’s the way your kind works these days with truth and debate.. just block it so you don’t have to face it
It is one of the best wartime tactics taken in my lifetime. It highlights Russia’s willingness to allow their own casualties to rot on the ground. Ukraine has constantly won the informational aspects of this war
It might be a good war tactic, but metaphysically speaking, the intent behind this is low. There’s nothing sacred anymore, and the more we adhere to this idea, the more truth it lends to it. In the end, when all is said and done, and the greater, deeper truth becomes apparent, this will probably not be scoring points with the tabulation of life achievements… It’s a war, but one can take a moment to contemplate bigger truths – in fact the reality of a war should prompt that sort of awareness. But I’m too optimistic.
@cl4re4d4ms they don’t have the motivation either, unless they’re psychos. And one always has those in war, but the majority are just young kids who haven’t even lived…
@Vlad Puscasu if that’s winning then I would hate to see losing.
Regardless of the motive, I would want to know if my child was alive or not. Whether they trust what they see is up to them.
@Susan Gordon my mom would have tried to take putin out herself!
@Susan Gordon I kind off agree with him…. I have 11 kids… While it is in itself a compassionate thing if done right…. as an ex soldier…it is also my though that the enemy deserve their own misery. Why treat their families with more respect, than those families in >Russia treat the Ukrainians to.
@Ricky Hunter if you are going to think as a Christian, “Judge not, lest ye be judged”.
Unlike the US military, I have doubts that Russia will notify families of their soldiers killed in action. In fact, they have left killed military personnel on the battlefield and been deceitful of the numbers killed so far. Russian parents and the spouses of soldiers have a right to know what happened to their loved ones.
I’ve read that they sometimes tell families their sons deserted, in order to avoid paying them compensation. How cruel & petty is that? I saw Russian state TV footage where wounded soldiers in a hospital were given medals & modest one-time payments. I hope that’s not the extent of their combat-related health/ disability coverage, but…
@H K S I saw a video on YouTube where 4 Russian soldiers were sitting in blue pajamas in Russian hospital beds, looking totally bewildered why they were receiving medals from a high ranking general. Even the reporters were commenting on how they looked angry and upset. You would look just as bewildered as these young wounded guys if you knew…just as they knew, that the medal was a posthumous medal given only to all service members that died in battle. They were exchanged POWs what had been injured … But I think we all know what happened out back after the cameras were gone. Russian military does not accept its soldiers surrendering.
This guy’s worried about the moral aspects?! If this practice was standard in ALL wars, they would instantly lose their appeal and support in civilian populations. World peace maybe?? 🤷🏼♀️
@Christopher G you said it would ruin the US but we don’t leave our fallen behind
@Dean Kruse Please stop lying about what I said. Kinda stupid given what I wrote is public.
@Dana Rzechula I’m not insane or a bot. Please identify the particular post that makes you think either. I’ll be happy to attempt to make myself clearer for you. I suspect you are reacting to a single post and may not be aware of the full context or extent of my posts on the subject.
@Dean Kruse tell that to the Green Berets that got ambushed in Niger by ISIS.
In civilized nations the military makes every effort to identify it’s falled and notify familie, and low and behold civilized nations are less likely to be warmongers.
Disrespectful to the dead? Innocent civilians got no such respect. Let the truth be known.
Agreed totally
Exactly…
It all depends on how they go about it, if it’s done with respect. If your government won’t tell you where your son is, at least you would know
no one owes any respect to the invader. in america they understand this about petty trespassers, but not about an invading army?
It is being done respectfully. Something this reporting left out, even making this seem sinister and cruel. The Ukrainians are not doing that. The phone calls are made with sensitivity for a suffering family member.
@Alice Wright We’re meant to follow ROEs & court martial those who don’t, to avoid becoming what we say we fight & to credibly claim our own POWs rights.
@Alice Wright It’s not legal to kill “petty trespassers”, either. Even “stand your ground laws” are only supposed to apply to trespassers who are credible threat.
Be more positive, letting parents know, who their own state declined to tell, that their kids are dead, they say only 1900 have been killed, balls. Get out, Russia.
This is an act of kindness of humanity, any mother would love to know what happens to their child who died in combat. Psychologically it is brilliant.
@Fibber 2U the way they inform the family isn’t discussed in this. And if they don’t share pictures, how likely are the Russian families to believe it. If it is something along the lines of “we’re sorry to inform you that your son died in combat there on this date, we will bury him properly and keep records of his location so his body can be returned to you. Attached is proof of the above.” then I think it’s perfectly fine. Other, more vindictive types of messages would not be smart
@Marnix Brugmans The discussion is not what I was commenting on. The practice of sending unsolicited and to the mothers and wives in particular gruesome photographs is what I object to as it is counter productive. If something akin to what you suggest is happening I’m happy and advocate it. Open dialogue with the mothers of Russia but do it humanly and undermine the Putin regime. However if proof is demanded then send the photographs with further regrets and warning of content. I think we are actually in agreement. It is clear than many on this thread can not see that it is potentially harmful to the Ukrainian cause to not do this with care.
@Fibber 2U exactly. I think the idea is useful in many ways but needs to be handled well to get value. Unfortunately the entire interview skipped this aspect
Russia tries to deny its fatalities in any arena, mainly because of ego, but also to avoid paying compensation to the next of kin.
They have been pretending their dead soldiers deserted, so the family doesn’t get closure, or the $10k compensation.
@William Wong Pooootatoe Juice
I can understand, I guess, them hating us, but look how they hate themselves!
This is a good point, Drew. Those families deserve the compensation for their loss of a loved one and should not be cheated out of it. I hope that this is being done tastefully and respectfully by the Ukrainians, otherwise I do agree that it could backfire. This is not without precedent, either. The families of people who have died in a car accident, for example, have to identify the body of a deceased loved one. I really don’t see this practice as all that different, and perhaps the back pressure that results can help to put a halt to this unnecessary war. As a parent, I would want closure, if it were my child. And at this point, I think it is worth trying, in an effort to achieve peace in the region.
@nichevo1 That is exactly the reason they hate us. You can only show love to others as much as you can show to yourself.
Whether a soldier is captured, injured (and how badly), perfectly fine, or dead, in this era of technology it’s imperative to let the family know as quickly as possible. Russian military is undoubtedly withholding this information, or sometimes just doesn’t know. I think most families want to know as quickly as possible, and instead of macabre, cruel or inhumane, this practice could help reduce war. Death is terrible. War causes death.
@elena dunn
It was nato that helped in world war 2…
With Hitler
@Timzart7
zelensky parents were Jewish
He is not…
@elena dunn
Nato is there to help those countries around the world
That’s why countries need to pay 2 percent of their gp population….
Oh God, now he’s talking about ethics, does he understand that Putin has no ethics? I can’t believe these naive people are allowed to comment on such a serious issue.
😠 Hi Carol Pulis Fuk what you saying it here 😠 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCia8JwD-qU
mejores 😠
2 (elecciones ) 9.5/0
3( culturales ) 9.3/10
Son unos de los mejores conciertos
, no puede ir pero de tan solo verlos
desde pantalla, se que estuvo
Sorprendente . .;
“Is this a clear indication that the war is not just a physical one but a virtual one as well”
First and foremost all wars are psychological
It shows which side has virtue and which side does NOT.
The families should know what has happened to their soldiers! This is tragic on both sides!!
I think this could be very effective if it’s done with compassion. They should send a message notifying the parents that their son has been killed and warn them that there’s photographic evidence if they want to see it. Don’t just expose them to the photos without an explicit warning. If the Russians aren’t keeping the families informed about the fate of their loved ones then Ukraine should definitely do it.
Mean Gene isn’t so mean after all. 😋 I completely agree. If Ukrainians can show compassion with this then Russians might be more open to trusting them over their government.
@Blue Cheese Has Mold In It your childlike view of humanity if encouraging, but misguided. The “rabbit” cannot trust the “wolf”.
Russia keeps exploiting our kindness as weakness, and we keep mistaking Russia’s aggression as strength.