It's possible to both root for Ukraine and not revel in human suffering. The music on this just seems wrong. The brave defenders are doing what they have to, but it's too easy for those of us who are bystanders to watch a video and feel disconnected from it.
Ouch! This looks painful. But Eh ... I dont care what they say, they decided to go there and die there, instead of pissing on their commander, dying for democracy instead and going anywhere else but in Ukraine to kill Ukrainians.
Conscripted = Defend your country. Not attack another country.
Russia just pretends they're "defending motherland" so they find an excuse to """"conscript (untrained) Russians"""" to go to war and they advertise "it's good money" literally everywhere. There are posters everywhere about it and so much propaganda and pro-war ads.
In any case, there is ALWAYS a choice. Even killing your own commander, or protesting against your government is a choice. So many Russians have literally abandoned their positions because they do not believe in this war. That was a choice. You always have a choice. Especially them, so many of them. Yes, difficult ones, but let's not pretend that they "do not have a choice". They do, they always did.
You always have a choice, than go to a war where you win nothing but kill innocent Ukrainians, committing war crimes and invading other country "to defend yours" which is their propaganda prorogative.
edit:
You know who "doesn't have a choice"? Ukrainians. They are there to defend their land. And the funny thing is, they do have a choice. They could just say "fuck it I won't do it". But they still stand. Even they, have a choice. And they chose to defend their land.
So let's not pretent that Russians, got conscripted thus they didn't have a choice. Everybody has a choice, and they have to live with it and die with it.
The man is free to walk west with a white flag, he chose every single to day to help kill Ukrainians defending their homes. I'll spend my sympathy for the Russians killed while resisting Putin's war of conquest, not for the Russians actively contributing to it.