Ukrainian Peace Camp for Russian POWS
We read that many of the Russian soldiers are in it for the money. But then, when they get to Ukraine, and death seems around the corner, they possibly become disheartened. So, I write to suggest that we put in every Russian soldier's mind a way out. The whole idea is just to make surrendering appealing. We would want to work with our Ukrainian, British, American, European, and Red Cross friends to affect this. Here's the plan:
1. Make a deal with Egypt or Libya, or Morocco, or Tunisia, or Saudi, or any other desert country with a warm seacoast. Rent for the duration, say, 20 (later 50, 100?) kilometers of coast. Start small.
2. We (Ukraine, UK, USA, Europe, the UN, Red Cross, Red Crescent, or all together?) build a beachfront tent city prisoner-of-war camp. We’ll need a desalination plant and a dock. The camp would be simple with tent housing and good (simple) food, but also libraries, a Russian language peace school, and lots of the best TV, all dubbed in Russian.
3. Here's a critical point: good cell service. Once a week every prisoner can call home. And, send mail. Family and friends in Russia hear stories of how their loved ones are safe, fed, luxuriating on the beach, watching TV, going to school, or just hanging out. When the folks back home talk to their front-line soldiers in Ukraine they will mention what they hear about life in the camp, well fed, entertained, and very most importantly, safe. The publicity is critical.
4. Regarding guarding: the camp is surrounded by desert. Where would they go? If escapees somehow got back to Russia with their tales of comfortable lounging, might they be persecuted or possibly re-drafted? Who would want to escape? The food and TV is good. Until it’s over, probably best to stay.
5. Lots of Ukrainians speak Russian, so staffing the camp might not be difficult. Good salaries, maybe one month on, then one month off. Maybe not too many guards required, there's no place to escape to. The prisoners themselves could cook, clean, and more or less run the place.
6. Cost, round figures: say one million Russian surrenderers. Say $3,000 /year cost of room and board. That's cost three billion dollars. Cheap, compared to the several Western aid packages planned. At wars end, the smartest POWs might apply to stay in the West. Potentially, Russia's loss our gain. Yes, of course, seeing that day coming, Russia might send potential future spies to surrender. Interesting! Many possible solutions.
Figuring out how to facilitate safe individual or small group surrender is tricky. Very tricky!
Separate idea, but same theme: At night along the Russian front lines in Ukraine, large drones might drag illuminated webs of light with scrolling messages urging surrender such as: "Surrender, be safe, and you can call home". Of course, Ukrainians would compose the Russian language messages.
Regarding Russian countermeasures: The banner would be noisy to get attention, but moving fast. The scrolling light grid is a filament framework, 99% space, so bullets pass through. The scroll is underlaid and surrounded by a web of breakaway carbon fiber filaments to entangle drone props. The lit-up apparent tow plane is a decoy with a noisy speaker. The actual drone further above, towing everything, is coated in light-absorbing black. Several of these moving banners might appear at different places along the front lines all at once. By the time the Russians figure out a countermeasure, their soldiers are talking.
Along that theme, a few more off-the-wall ideas: The entangling trailing carbon fiber filaments are imprinted with lengthy messages presenting the Ukrainian case and urging surrender. The Russian interceptor drones come crashing down with their props wrapped in surrender messages. Occasionally, within the filament messages is a short 20 centimeter strip good for .001 bitcoin when it is redeemed, whenever, at any Ukrainian, or European redemption center, whenever, forever. This would be guaranteed by Ukraine, the USA, the World Bank, in short, everyone a Russian citizen would believe. And they are guaranteed, forever, win or lose, one solid .001 bitcoin, when redeemed. These tiny strips could be collected and hidden anywhere. If smuggled home, their relatives can cash them.
A side benefit is to keep the Russians off balance. Spring all the banners one night. A week later self guided bomblets from 50,000 feet that scatter surrender invitations when opening at 1,000 feet. With small print again guaranteeing .001bitcoin. A week later something else entirely.
Another favorite: Boston Dynamics has a robot dog, call him Scurry. Made as bullet-proof as possible thousands of these robot dogs go scurrying around the front lines straight into Russian positions. No, it doesn’t kill them. It holds out a robotic hand with a note, or it speaks “Please take my hand and together we will head for safety. Unfortunately, if you won’t, I have to blow us up. So please!”, holding out its hand. With his hand grabbed, Scurry puts up a white flag and, holding hands, they head back to the Ukrainian reception center.
It's so much better and cheaper to feed and house your enemy than to kill them. And so much more humane. Long run, better for an eventual coexistence, re Germany-Europe, re Japan-USA, this will pass, and how humane of us to look forward to some day Russia-rest-of-world and help to anticipate that day with persuasion.