# Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion, breaking-news\ **Created:** [February 24, 2022, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037 "2022-02-24T08:30:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 136
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2701 "2022-03-18T12:42:36Z")
CNN article: _Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv Friday of delaying the negotiation process during a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz._ Somebody is getting antsy … (time is a friend to the Ukr. and a foe for Russia) **so many signals of distress** I get the feeling Russia is now at the equivalent point of time of “early to mid-1944” for Nazi-Germany also CNN: _and the decision by Lukoil, Russia’s second biggest oil company, to [call on Putin to end the conflict](https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/business/lukoil-end-war/index.html) as evidence of the impact._ Interesting times for Mr. Putin, for sure… ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2702 "2022-03-18T12:48:42Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > I get the feeling Russia is now at the equivalent of “early to mid-1944” for Nazi-Germany Maybe. But Germany didn’t have nukes back then. Even without them, they were still plenty dangerous, despite the lack of prospects of eventual victory. I do agree with that part. I don’t see any way for Russia to win. Their best case scenario at this point is seemingly taking over empty land after a genocide by artillery. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2703 "2022-03-18T12:49:37Z")
I was going to say much the same. He doesn’t assume any goodwill on the part of his intended audience based on his celebrity. Spends about half the message explaining why he has respect for the Russian people. Goes to lengths to forgive them their situation, laying no blame at their feet. Doesn’t even begin to tell Russians they’re being fed false propaganda until the latter half of the message. On the whole, I could scarcely imagine doing a better job in the winning hearts and minds department. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2704 "2022-03-18T13:03:19Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Lukashenko being toppled in Belarus would be the cherry on top of the cake of Putin’s failure. With the caveat that if Lukashenko is deposed, it most likely won’t be a popular revolution, but a political decapitation by a hardliner allied with, or actually from, the military. Also, Lukashenko won’t be put against the wall; he’ll smell the danger and hightail it to Russia like Yanukovych. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2705 "2022-03-18T13:28:15Z")
Putin would still have cyberspace capability and sneaky ways of eliminating his enemies, even without his military, but it still wouldn’t be enough to fully cow other countries without his nukes. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2706 "2022-03-18T14:33:40Z")
I keep seeing news articles referring to the “UK Defense Ministry”. My first impulse is always to wonder why the United Kingdom has any special knowledge of what’s going on in Ukraine, before realizing that in this context UK is a reference to Ukraine. I wish there were a more unique abbreviation for Ukraine in common use. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2707 "2022-03-18T14:41:15Z")
The IOC three letter system is probably the most easily decipherable. Ukraine is UKR and the UK is GBR. Just hope Austria (AUT) and Australia (AUS) never go to war… ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2708 "2022-03-18T14:48:11Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I keep seeing news articles referring to the “UK Defense Ministry”. My first impulse is always to wonder why the United Kingdom has any special knowledge of what’s going on in Ukraine, before realizing that in this context UK is a reference to Ukraine. I wish there were a more unique abbreviation for Ukraine in common use. No, it’s the United Kingdom. They have access to all the US and NATO intelligence, of course, and perhaps their own sources inside Ukraine. UK Ministry of Defence [Twitter account](https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2709 "2022-03-18T14:59:43Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > No, it’s the United Kingdom. I had no idea. Through this entire thread I assumed those blue boxed infographics were the product of the Ukrainian government and took them with a huge grain of salt. Why the Hell are they all dressed up in Ukrainian colors? The whole design and content screams propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2710 "2022-03-18T15:31:28Z")
Sorry, I thought it was clear. To me UK means United Kingdom, and nothing else. The official two-letter abbreviation for Ukraine is UA, but otherwise it’s simply written out as Ukraine. I’ve literally never seen UK used to refer to Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2711 "2022-03-18T15:33:33Z")
Holy mother of god! Are you referring to the tiny stripe in the Ukrainian flag colors in the top right corner? Or are you objecting to the Navy Blue background color which has been used on UK government websites for almost 30 years? You do realize that the use of yellow as a contrasting color to deep blues is pretty much Style 101 right? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2712 "2022-03-18T15:37:39Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The IOC three letter system is probably the most easily decipherable. Ukraine is UKR and the UK is GBR. Just hope Austria (AUT) and Australia (AUS) never go to war… FWIW, the two-letter abbreviation for Ukraine is UA. Australia is AU, and Austria is AT. [https://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/codes.html](https://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/codes.html) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2713 "2022-03-18T15:59:20Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Holy mother of god! > > Are you referring to the tiny stripe in the Ukrainian flag colors in the top right corner? Mostly that, but also that the content isn’t as objective as I would expect from the British MoD. Is this twitter account run by MI7? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2714 "2022-03-18T16:08:34Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The IOC three letter system is probably the most easily decipherable. Ukraine is UKR and the UK is GBR. Isn’t this because in the Olympics Northern Ireland is NOT in Team GB? So GBR =/= UK ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2715 "2022-03-18T16:19:23Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Is this twitter account run by MI7? MI7 hasn’t existed since the Second World War. The intelligence updates are from Defence Intelligence (DI): > [@](#): > > Defence Intelligence (DI) is an organisation within the United Kingdom intelligence community which focuses on gathering and analysing military intelligence. It differs from the UK’s intelligence agencies (MI6, GCHQ and MI5) in that it is an integral part of a government department – the Ministry of Defence (MoD) – rather than a stand-alone organisation. The organisation employs a mixture of civilian and military staff and is funded within the UK’s defence budget. > **[Defence Intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_Intelligence)** > > Defence Intelligence (DI) is an organisation within the United Kingdom intelligence community which focuses on gathering and analysing military intelligence. It differs from the UK's intelligence agencies (MI6, GCHQ and MI5) in that it is an integral part of a government department – the Ministry of Defence (MoD) – rather than a stand-alone organisation. The organisation employs a mixture of civilian and military staff and is funded within the UK's defence budget. The organisation was formerly... ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2716 "2022-03-18T16:30:43Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Isn’t this because in the Olympics Northern Ireland is NOT in Team GB? So GBR =/= UK Northern Ireland is in Team GB. > [@](#): > > Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation’s poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. It is meant to unify the team as one body, irrespective of each member athlete’s particular sport. Officially, the team is the “Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team”, although athletes from Northern Ireland may opt to compete under the auspices of the Olympic Federation of Ireland instead. > **[Team GB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_GB)** > > Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation's poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. It is meant to unify the team as one body, irrespective of each member athlete's particular sport. Officially, the team is the "Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team", although athletes from Northern Ireland, depending on the sport, are either forc... ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2717 "2022-03-18T16:30:55Z")
Thanks for trying (and @GreenWyvern as well). The images you post look identical to me and clicking simply brings the same image up at the same size. Not your fault, the Ministry is failing to make an accessible publication. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2718 "2022-03-18T16:49:49Z")
From what I’ve read around the Cold War, the UK has often served as the US’s intelligence arm in Europe. CIA were always more busy trying to convince people to do things and were less focused on long-commitment tasks like infiltration and wire taps. (Though, it could just be a matter of our spreading out to cover the world, versus the UK being able to focus on Europe.) They have a strong intelligence capability, from what I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2719 "2022-03-18T16:53:32Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Sorry, I thought it was clear. To me UK means United Kingdom, and nothing else. > > The official two-letter abbreviation for Ukraine is UA, but otherwise it’s simply written out as Ukraine. I’ve literally never seen UK used to refer to Ukraine. I’ve never seen Ukraine abbreviated, except as UKR in the Olympics; it hadn’t occurred to me that it would be something other than UK, since UK was already taken by Queen Elizabeth and her royal subjects. All that means is I didn’t really think this through - so thanks for the lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/2720 "2022-03-18T17:31:54Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I had no idea. Through this entire thread I assumed those blue boxed infographics were the product of the Ukrainian government and took them with a huge grain of salt. Why the Hell are they all dressed up in Ukrainian colors? The whole design and content screams propaganda. I would have thought that the logo in the top left corner would have been clear. It’s not the Ukrainian trident. It’s the symbol of the UK armed forces, complete with Crown. As for the blue and yellow stripes, that’s a quick visual identifier of the subject matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=135) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=137)