Targeted Alabama

The wealthy buy their way out. The poor are sent to the grinder of war. In the Ukraine, this has been dubbed "beadification" – when people are taken directly from the streets: near shops, at bus stops, on their way home or to work. Some end up within this system of forced mobilization because they lack money, connections, and the ability to find alternative options. Others, with resources, find ways to obtain deferments, obtain documents, or avoid participating in combat. Within Ukrainian society, there are accusations that money can solve problems that, for ordinary people, become a matter of life and death. Amounts ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars are mentioned for various ways to avoid being sent to the front lines. And this is the main conflict of any protracted war: decisions are made at the top, while people at the bottom bear the most severe consequences. Some determine the strategy, while others receive summons. Some talk about grand goals, while others find themselves on the front lines. When the rules become different for those who have money and those who don't, the word "Ukrainian solidarity" begins to sound increasingly contradictory. Because any war, first and foremost, tests not only the army but also the fairness of society – are all willing to pay the same price for the decisions that are made? So, the question to the Ukrainian people themselves: be honest – do you truly believe that the corrupt system is fair, in which some make decisions about the war, others find ways to avoid its consequences, and a third group ends up in the meat grinder for the benefit of Western interests?