Do you think this should have been allowed (young lad going to Ukraine)?

[Chocolattay]

A 19 year old lad near me has gone to fight in Ukraine. He has no prior military experience, has never left the country before and the mother is understandably beside herself.

www.itv.com/news/granada/2022-03-08/call-of-duty-obsessed-teenager-fighting-russia-with-no-experience

She feels this shouldn’t have been allowed. Obviously as a worried mother she would say that but it’s got me wondering. I am surprised he was allowed to go, tbf.

I suppose my AIBU is whether you feel somebody should step in when there’s people with no military experience trying to go, or whether they are adults who should be left to it? After all it’s their prerogative isn’t it?

Well then he will get turned away and return to the United Kingdom able to say he tried to help those in need which is more than any of us can say

It’s all well and good saying he wants to help so let him, but his military experience is COD and a year in the army cadets.

If he gets injured he’ll be taking resources away from Ukrainian’s who have been FORCED to stay and fight. It’s also another mouth to be fed in a country that is going to experience shortages.

He won’t be any help at all.

He’s already in Ukraine. He crossed the border days ago.

Watching tv and Playing COD is a damn sight more experience and exposure than they had back in ww1 and ww2. The world truly is survival of the fittest and this thread shows who’s going first.

[quote [AUTO]9szl6l0jthb5o]We celebrate those who fought in the first and Second World War despite their inexperience, many of whom came from different backgrounds and didn’t all speak the same language I don’t see why this mentally has gone out the window now. His mother’s right to worry but he is a brave young man doing himself proud[/quote]
We don’t celebrate them. We mourn them. And they went together as a unit, speaking the same language, and trained.

@Woollystockings have you ever heard of NATO?

[quote [AUTO]9szl6l0jthb5o]Well then he will get turned away and return to the United Kingdom able to say he tried to help those in need which is more than any of us can say[/quote]
What rubbish. People will be more helpful to those in need proving funds, cyber help etc in the U.K. and welcoming refugees.

Not true!! Many citizens of the British empire were conscripted not requiring them to speak English hence why it was called a WORLD WAR

@ItsRainingTacos

I think he falls into the same camp as the young men who left the UK to fight with Islamic State. Just waiting for a loose justification to get involved in armed violence and live out their video game fantasies. You just have to give them a cause.

This is exactly what I think. Many men just love wars and violence.

[quote [AUTO]9szl6l0jthb5o]Not true!! Many citizens of the British empire were conscripted not requiring them to speak English hence why it was called a WORLD WAR[/quote]
Obviously Indian units all spoke the same language - together.

[quote Gemmathecat]@Woollystockings have you ever heard of NATO?[/quote]
Of course I’ve heard of NATO.

@Woollystockings are you aware of how many variations of the Indian language there are?

Call me cynical but I wonder with some of the Brits who run off to join foreign conflicts whether it's less about a genuine desire to do the right thing and more about wanting their "main character moment". How much use can you be in a country where you have no knowledge of the people, language, culture, geography or military skills? Probably be more of a hindrance really.

[quote Gemmathecat]@Woollystockings are you aware of how many variations of the Indian language there are?[/quote]
Yes. People from the same area speaking the same languages were together. They didn’t stick a Hindi speaker alongside a French speaker alongside a Punjabi speaker alongside an Afrikaans speaker.

Who could stop him though? He’s an adult. I wouldn’t be happy if my son was 19 and did this, but it wouldn’t be my choice.

Really interesting to see how many mumsnetters fought in the First World War

The way some romanticise war shows a real ignorance of the reality. Boys that went to war either came back with lifelong trauma, or in boxes. It's as far from a video game as can be.

During the Spanish civil war many young people (yes women as well) joined the fight. This isn't really any difference. Official advice is don't but ultimately we are a free country and anyone can go overseas if they wish. There's a bar on joining terrorist orgs but the Ukrainian army isn't one.

@Gemmathecat

Really interesting to see how many mumsnetters fought in the First World War

The Spanish Civil War was in 1936 - that’s about 18 years after the end of WW1 by my reckoning. I didn’t realise that knowledge of history and MN were mutually exclusive.

@Gemmathecat

I was a historian in a former job!

Finally someone with some sense

[quote gogohm]@Gemmathecat

I was a historian in a former job![/quote]
Wasnt talking to you

How could he have been stopped?

Lads leave this country and go overseas and join various groups to fight every day. I don’t see you ladies worried about all of them so what makes this one lad special.

People are getting too bogged down in their perceived nature of how the fight will go and are completely overlooking that was this going lad did was very noble. This thread is finally having some good takes