# Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 1)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037
**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:** 253
### Author:  [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5105 "2022-04-26T20:55:55Z")
They would have to converse in English right? I don’t think they have another language in common.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5106 "2022-04-26T20:57:24Z")
I would suspect that they are using interpreters, who aren’t shown in the photo.
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### Author:  [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5107 "2022-04-26T21:14:00Z")
> [@Cardigan](#):
>
> If it didn’t lead to a hijack, this picture would make for decent caption contest material.
Grey Poupon?
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5108 "2022-04-26T22:02:36Z")
> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> It looks like a gigantic Monopoly board, even having a pile of Community Chest cards next to Putin who, of course, is about to move his train engine.
It’s the tackiest looking table ever. He looks like an idiot. If he’s going to emulate Hitler at least go with the decor.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5109 "2022-04-26T22:06:30Z")
I think Russians have historically liked gaudy décor. Hitler seemd more Bauhaus.
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### Author:  [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5110 "2022-04-26T22:10:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I think Russians have historically liked gaudy décor.
A friend of mine married a Russian woman (my wife really believes that she was a mail-order bride) and he was fixing up the house to agree with her tastes. The living room, in this fairly modest (on the outside) house looked like some sort of whore-house reception room. There were multiple layers of gaudy and gauzy curtains and they got some friend from the Russian community to paint some god-awful rococo thing on the ceiling (I don’t recall if there were cherubs or not but I wouldn’t be surprised). It was truly bizarre.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5111 "2022-04-26T22:34:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I think Russians have historically liked gaudy décor. Hitler seemd more Bauhaus.
While true in spirit - he was unassuming and functional decor-wise - he persecuted the actual Bauhaus school. Same thing goes for Modernism in general even though they couldn’t prevent some of its influence from creeping in in their architecture.
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### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5112 "2022-04-27T04:52:45Z")
> [@velomont](#):
>
> It was truly bizarre.
No wonder Trump likes Russia so much. It sounds like they share similar taste.
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### Author:  [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5113 "2022-04-27T09:30:31Z")
Nearly everyone on the planet feels compelled to leap across the table and strangle Putin. This table makes in much more difficult.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5114 "2022-04-27T09:32:05Z")
Mostly wishful thinking.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5115 "2022-04-27T13:51:21Z")
Can someone explain why Russia would want Transnistria drawn into the conflict? It’s already solidly controlled by Russia. The population is Russian and Russia supports it with free gas and some troops.
I understand the desire for a land bridge through Odessa.
Transnistria is very small and has 1,500 Russian troops. What’s the point in throwing them into war in Ukraine?
Is Moldova the target?
> **[Where is Transnistria and why is it being drawn into Ukraine war?](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/27/where-is-transnistria-and-why-is-region-being-drawn-into-ukraine-war)**
>
> Moscow-backed region in Moldova, which borders Ukraine, is in the news after a series of explosions
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### Author:  [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5116 "2022-04-27T13:52:14Z")
Perhaps a ‘strategic distraction’?
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### Author:  [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5117 "2022-04-27T13:56:22Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Can someone explain why Russia would want Transnistria drawn into the conflict? It’s already solidly controlled by Russia.
That it is already solidly controller by Russia may be why they are using it (assuming it is a false flag operation). The Russians don’t have to worry about blow back, and they can attempt to cast asparagus on the dastardly Nazis in Ukraine and how they are attacking innocent civilians.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5118 "2022-04-27T14:04:55Z")
In theory the Russians can reinforce Transnistria and then run a joint Op to go after the largest port in Ukraine, nearby Odessa. It is less than 40 miles between them.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5119 "2022-04-27T14:05:17Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Transnistria is very small and has 1,500 Russian troops. What’s the point in throwing them into war in Ukraine?
Putin seems to have an objective to connect Transnistria to Russia via a corridor through Ukraine and, in theory, they want for him to succeed.
You could say that it’s in his interest to get any help that he can in the fight. It they’ve declined to help out then we might note that probably the whole basis for this war is that Putin punishes those who are not obedient to his command (e.g. Ukraine).
That said, my suspicion would be that Transnistria is helping Russia out in some way or that Russia has some activities going on in the region and the attacks are by Ukraine against those. Ukraine is calling false flag to turn support away from Russia.
But, really, either is plausible.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5120 "2022-04-27T14:12:40Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#):
>
> That said, my suspicion would be that Transnistria is helping Russia out in some way or that Russia has some activities going on in the region and the attacks are by Ukraine against those. Ukraine is calling false flag to turn support away from Russia.
>
> But, really, either is plausible.
I would think Ukraine would be unlikely to open another front unless they had extremely compelling evidence that Transnistria was an imminent threat. Obviously I don’t know what intelligence they’re getting from the US and other NATO members, but I’d put the odds on Russian false flag against Ukraine to stir up Transnistria against them, not the other way around. But who knows.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5121 "2022-04-27T14:16:10Z")
That’s a good point. Ukraine may have seen hostile activity in Transnistria that couldn’t be ignored.
Kyiv dismantled a Soviet era friendship memorial. 😉 What took them so long?
That ship sailed awhile ago.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5122 "2022-04-27T17:05:24Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> I wonder how long it takes to manufacture Javelins, Stingers and the like.
> **[Facing obsolete parts, Raytheon struggling to replace Stingers sent to Ukraine...](https://breakingdefense.com/2022/04/facing-obsolete-parts-raytheon-struggling-to-replace-stingers-sent-to-ukraine/)**
>
> "Unfortunately, DoD hasn't bought a Stinger in about 18 years. Some of components are no longer commercially available, and so we're going to have to go out and redesign some of the electronics in the missile of the seeker head," Raytheon CEO Greg...
> Unfortunately, DoD hasn’t bought a Stinger in about 18 years. Some of components are no longer commercially available, and so we’re going to have to go out and redesign some of the electronics in the missile of the seeker head.
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### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5123 "2022-04-27T17:11:31Z")
From what I’m reading from various military experts on Twitter who’ve had a good track record on the war so far, the Transistra stuff is likely either a distraction (i.e. Russia isn’t going to do anything significant there), or a massive blunder about to happen. They have minimal forces in Transistra, and no way of getting more forces there unless they take most of the south of Ukraine, which they’re very far from taking. And Ukraine’s anti-ship capability makes an amphibious landing almost impossible.
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### Author:  [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5124 "2022-04-27T17:30:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Is Moldova the target?
Yes, it is seen as part of the USSR which needs to be reabsorbed.
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