# 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:** 276
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5565 "2022-05-10T15:54:37Z")
they also were able to get into the tv listings [Russian satellite TV shows a Ukraine message: ‘blood on your hands’ (yahoo.com)](https://news.yahoo.com/russian-satellite-tv-shows-ukraine-104032205.html) “You have the blood of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of dead children on your hands,” ---
**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:** [May 10, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5566 "2022-05-10T16:04:35Z")
[‘It’s as Tall as a Person’: Russians Reveal Their Secret Dump of Dead Soldiers in Donetsk (yahoo.com)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/tall-person-russians-reveal-secret-102227444.html) > Russian authorities in Ukraine’s occupied city of Donetsk are tossing the bodies of their [dead soldiers](https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-state-television-admits-vladimir-putins-army-has-been-totally-embarrassing-in-ukraine-war?ref=wrap) in a secret dump “by the thousands” and charging their loved ones money to find them. > > That’s according to a new audio recording released by [Ukraine’s Security Service](https://www.facebook.com/SecurSerUkraine) on Tuesday, which is purportedly an intercepted telephone conversation between two Russians discussing how one of their missing friends was finally found. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5567 "2022-05-10T17:45:09Z")
Shouldn’t be hard to locate the site of a mass grave. It would be much easier than finding a general on the move. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5568 "2022-05-10T18:30:46Z")
I’m quite confident that Western intelligence services already know the locations down to the meter. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5569 "2022-05-10T18:31:22Z")
Ukraine is making steady progress around Kharkiv. The city will soon be out of range from Russian artillery. That should make the city safer. > [@](#): > > By pushing back Russian forces who had occupied the outskirts of Kharkiv since the start of the invasion, the Ukrainians are moving into striking distance of the rear supply lines sustaining the main Russian attack force further south. > > “They’re trying to cut in and behind the Russians to cut off the supply lines, because that’s really one of their (the Russians’) main weaknesses,” said Neil Melvin of the RUSI think-tank in London. [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/missiles-pound-ukraines-odesa-after-russia-marks-ww2-victory-2022-05-10/](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/missiles-pound-ukraines-odesa-after-russia-marks-ww2-victory-2022-05-10/) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5570 "2022-05-10T23:13:29Z")
From the Guardian: “Vladimir Putin could view the prospect of defeat in Ukraine as an existential threat to his regime, potentially triggering his resort to using a nuclear weapon, the top US intelligence official has warned.” I just don’t get it. If Putin figures that a loss in Ukraine would be a threat to his power, then using a nuke would lead to either 1. Putin losing power immediately due to an internal “decision” 2. Putin losing power when NATO moves against Russia with full force 3. Putin losing power by having a nuke dropped on him and 100 million other people in total global destruction. There is simply no realistic scenario where Putin using a nuke on Ukraine (or anywhere else for that matter) ends in a situation even remotely positive for Putin personally. The only way he uses a nuke is if he decides to commit suicide by taking as many people as possible with him. > **[Putin could use nuclear weapon if he felt war being lost – US intelligence chief](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/10/putin-nuclear-weapons-us-intelligence-avril-haines)** > > Avril Haines says Russian leader could see prospect of Ukraine defeat as existential threat, potentially triggering escalation ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5571 "2022-05-10T23:45:31Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The only way he uses a nuke is if he decides to commit suicide by taking as many people as possible with him. That’s exactly what I told a friend yesterday. It only takes one nut job who’s on the way out anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5572 "2022-05-11T00:03:43Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Russia is going to be an international pariah for decades at best. This stuff can turn around quickly… with regime change. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5573 "2022-05-11T00:05:34Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > It only takes one nut job who’s on the way out anyway. Well, more than one, I assume. If Biden went full crazy and decided to launch a nuke right now, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be just him walking to a button and pressing it. Surely there’s a guy who carries the “football” that he would have to interact with on some level. I can’t imagine any nuclear power leaving the button in sole possession of a single person, regardless how authoritarian the regime. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5574 "2022-05-11T00:06:05Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > From the Guardian: > > “Vladimir Putin could view the prospect of defeat in Ukraine as an existential threat to his regime, potentially triggering his resort to using a nuclear weapon, the top US intelligence official has warned.” > I just don’t get it. If Putin figures that a loss in Ukraine would be a threat to his power, then using a nuke would lead to either > > 1. Putin losing power immediately due to an internal “decision” > 2. Putin losing power when NATO moves against Russia with full force > 3. Putin losing power by having a nuke dropped on him and 100 million other people in total global destruction. I agree. I think this particular intelligence official is way off base. The scary part is that Putin just might be crazy enough to kill himself by taking out the world with him. That’s the only remotely realistic scenario. But I would like to think that previous experiences with coming close to nuclear war support the notion that the Russian leadership wouldn’t allow it. They might be deluded enough to believe that Ukraine is an evil threat, but it’s hard to believe they would see mutual nuclear annihilation as a net positive. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5575 "2022-05-11T02:04:59Z")
The more I think about it I have to wonder about the imagery of the May 9 event in Russia. Putin has always cultivated an image of power for himself. Sitting with a blanket on his lap is way outside his image bubble. He would have worn long underwear before using a blanket or had a heater placed nearby. It’s not like he couldn’t snap his fingers and make it happen. And the cancellation of the flyover when it was supposed to contribute to his nuclear threats with the doomsday plane seems very strange. Is he on his way out the door? They are already trying to sweep the bodies of dead soldiers under the rug. Are we watching operation “save Crimea”. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5576 "2022-05-11T02:32:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I agree. I think this particular intelligence official is way off base. The intelligence official is only way off base if you take it for granted that a use of, say, a single nuclear weapon against Ukraine (perhaps going as far as to nuke a city) would necessarily provoke a nuclear response from the US, or a massive conventional response from NATO. I do not take that for granted. What I see as a distinct possibility, as a response to a discrete/singular use of a nuclear weapon by Putin, would be something akin to a _Wild Bunch_ finale sort of scenario. That is, the singular “unthinkable” act by itself—the act that everyone expects would result in swift and massive retaliation—actually is met with stunned silence. It’s only the next “shot” that finally provokes the much anticipated retaliation. So if Putin never takes that second shot—say he just nukes Kiev and then declares victory without another nuke—does NATO or the US alone really have the resolve to see him _and raise_? Or do we all collectively just fold and cut our losses? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5577 "2022-05-11T03:35:51Z")
Photos of fighters at the steel works. All of them wounded and still on their feet. I think they’ll all die with weapons in their hands. These are hard men that don’t quit. They deserve much respect. > **[Ukraine war: The pounding of Azovstal - pictures that tell a thousand words](https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-the-pounding-of-azovstal-pictures-that-tell-a-thousand-words-12610290)** > > The Mariupol steel works has become a symbol of Ukraine's resistance in the conflict - and the photos from within show stoicism and grit. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5578 "2022-05-11T16:23:11Z")
If you like watching convoys of Russian armoured vehicles getting obliterated to the sound of high-energy music, then this is the video for you: > > [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSfBiYxXwAASREj?format=jpg&name=900x900) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSfBiYxXwAASREj?format=jpg&name=900x900) ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5579 "2022-05-11T16:57:19Z")
A Chinese TV news crew [caught the moment a Russian tank displayed its “jack-in-the-box” turret-throwing design flaw](https://twitter.com/hochu_dodomu/status/1524400486539014145). ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5580 "2022-05-11T18:47:10Z")
Look at all those empty turret rings. I dare any advocate of the Russian autoloader design to say with a straight face that the benefits outweigh the catastrophic flaws. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5581 "2022-05-11T18:49:42Z")
Frankly at this point I think the tank is going the way of cavalry as it concerns to war. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5582 "2022-05-11T18:56:41Z")
It looks like the tank turret in the video has a rocket plume from the ignition of the ammo contained within it. > **[Russia's tanks in Ukraine have a 'jack-in-the-box' design flaw. And the West...](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/27/europe/russia-tanks-blown-turrets-intl-hnk-ml/index.html)** > > Russian tanks with their tops blown off are just the latest sign that Russia's invasion of Ukraine isn't going to plan. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5583 "2022-05-11T19:45:28Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Frankly at this point I think the tank is going the way of cavalry as it concerns to war. Do we have reason to suspect that Abrams or other western tanks would perform the way the Russian tanks have? I don’t recall the US having similar problems in Afghanistan and Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/5584 "2022-05-11T19:48:46Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Do we have reason to suspect that Abrams or other western tanks would perform the way the Russian tanks have? I don’t recall the US having similar problems in Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m sure they wouldn’t pop their tops like champagne but they didn’t face javelins or drones in Afghanistan or Iraq. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=275) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=277)