# 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:** 39
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/761 "2022-03-01T21:21:20Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > if we do nothing he could possibly just move on to the next ex-Soviet country, and on and on until he’s happy. There’s an old joke, usually told about a farmer (at least among farmers): ‘I’m not greedy. All I want is the land that adjoins mine.’ People like that are _never_ happy. They always want to take the next place. Admittedly, Russia would eventually come up against China, which has the same attitude. Nobody else would be likely to be happy, though; either then or in the meantime. > [@wolfpup](#): > > The progress of rationality in shaping the mores of civilized society has been ongoing for hundreds of years. Improved communication was indeed probably a factor, but it wasn’t the smart phone that started that, it was the Gutenberg printing press. I think it’s just barely possible that what’s happening is that we’re gradually evolving into a species much better capable of living in really large groups. Unfortunately, our capacity to damage both each other and our habitat appears capable of evolving a lot faster. We may lose this race. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/762 "2022-03-01T21:45:50Z")
Reading that the EU are considering offering asylum and refugee status to any Russian soldiers who want to desert, as long as they haven’t committed any war crime. But there is the worry that Putin will use the EU citizens residing in Russia as leverage. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/763 "2022-03-01T22:16:03Z")
I never watched RT before the invasion, but gave it a look and saw a bit about a sweet mom making potato stew for her Donetskian soldier boy, another bit about an American militia-type fatso fighting for the Russians, and Dennis Miller. Today cable dropped RT, and at the same time and not one moment sooner Dennis Miller bravely jumped ship. ---
**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 1, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/764 "2022-03-01T22:18:48Z")
It sounds like all the Ukrainians sitting in bunkers are bored and posting often and continuously about the situation - a large chunk of which seems to be variations of telling ordinary, uninvolved, nail salon artist and gardener Russians to go die. Zelensky should release some posting guidelines for his people. Getting the general Russian public pissed off at you doesn’t help to advance your goals. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/765 "2022-03-01T22:25:42Z")
Some of you might find this site interesting/useful: > **[Ukraine Interactive map - Ukraine Latest news on live map - liveuamap.com](https://liveuamap.com/)** > > Live Universal Awareness Map Liveuamap is a leading independent global news and information site dedicated to factual reporting of a variety of important topics including conflicts, human rights issues, protests, terrorism, weapons deployment, health... ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/766 "2022-03-01T22:30:16Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > isn’t that why you invade in the spring – so you have as long as possible to destroy defenses, subjugate populations and fortify supply lines before winter rolls around again? [without having looked for responses after this post …] Ladies and Gents ? Please allow me to present Rasputitsa: > **[Rasputitsa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasputitsa)** > > Rasputitsa (from Russian: распутица \[rɐsˈputʲɪtsə\]; literally "season of bad roads"), also called bezdorizhzhia (from Ukrainian: бездоріжжя; pronunciationⓘ), is the mud season that occurs in various rural areas of Eastern Europe, when the rapid snowmelt or thawing of frozen ground combined with wet weather in spring, or heavy rains in autumn, lead to muddy conditions that make travel on unpaved roads problematic and even treacherous. > Rasputitsa has repeatedly affected wars by causing military ve... I don’t know the extent to which this will apply with the routes the Russians have taken/are taking, but it’s a fairly safe bet that it’s in their calculus. People who spend a lot of time in the Alaskan (presumably, some Canadian provinces, too) know that winter is often the easiest time to cross **[open spaces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskeg)**. The Auto Club will specifically **not** tow your T-series tank if it gets stuck while off-roading, though – ostensibly – some local with a tractor **may**. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/767 "2022-03-01T22:37:48Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Dude, they are after 4 days knocking on the door of Kyiv and about to trap most of the Ukrainian armed forces in a pocket in the south. > > [https://twitter.com/warinthefuture/status/1498423792938323972?s=21](https://twitter.com/warinthefuture/status/1498423792938323972?s=21) Don’t get me wrong, I’m not optimistic for Ukrainian victory here. But if the Russian’s casualty numbers are to be believed they don’t seem to be doing a great job. And, Jesus, I accidentally typed Soviet instead of Russian and had to correct myself. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/768 "2022-03-01T22:43:58Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > People who spend a lot of time in the Alaskan (presumably, some Canadian provinces, too) know that winter is often the easiest time to cross **[open spaces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskeg)**. Hmmm … if winter would have been a better time to invade, that supports my pet theory that Putin waited until after the Olympics to get one last burst of glory before the world shut his athletes out of all competition. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/769 "2022-03-01T22:44:02Z")
I always remember a line from PJ O’Rourke (RIP): > Those are all the signs of war in Zagreb, and the fighting is only thirty miles away. Maybe Europeans have greater sangfroid than Americans. But there’s a lot of fighting in Detroit and things are quiet in Bloomfield Hills. [I grew up near Bloomfield Hills. It’s a wealthy suburb.] Once in a while, I think many of us can lose ourselves in some of the **relatively** minor battles we fight in the wealthy nations. In so many ways, the arc of **our** moral universe **is** bending toward justice. But I’m not sure how true that is in many parts of the world. I just think it sometimes has to be a G-7 member that Starts Shit before many of us are even keyed into it. _Wolfpup:_ I share your shock … horror … sorrow … whatever you call it. I was telling my wife that I’m surprised at how hard this is hitting me. But I feel like I’ve been a skosh privileged to be _somewhat_ insulated from the ‘**[solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short](https://yalebooksblog.co.uk/2013/04/05/thomas-hobbes-solitary-poor-nasty-brutish-and-short/)**’ nature that really hasn’t evolved its way out of humankind. Not by a long shot. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/770 "2022-03-01T22:44:40Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Who next? Carve a bit out of Moldova? Lukashenko was pictured in front of a military map today and when analysts enhanced the image it appeared to show a plan to move troops into Moldova. Specifically the region of Transnistria, which is a pro-Russian separatist area. Moldova is not part of NATO, but I suppose they could ask Romania to temporarily “annex” them… ---
**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:** [March 1, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/771 "2022-03-01T22:45:17Z")
Ukraine is accusing Rusia of war crimes for using a thermobaric weapon on Monday. So, now the quandary. Should Ukraine use this captured weapon? I wouldn’t right now. They could lose international support. But, later in the war this weapon could make the difference in a battle that’s turning into a rout. I absolutely wouldn’t use it against civilians. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/772 "2022-03-01T22:51:57Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Hmmm … if winter would have been a better time to invade, that supports my pet theory that Putin waited until after the Olympics to get one last burst of glory before the world shut his athletes out of all competition. It’s more likely an agreement with China. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/773 "2022-03-01T22:54:33Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > Putin wants an ancient Russia restored, that covers parts of Ukraine. Knowing this, I looked up the ancient state of Rus, motherland to Russia. Perhaps we can offer him Rus with its borders of the year 1100. But in exchange, he loses all the other land he controls right now. Yes, I know this won’t work but I am fascinated by his ridiculous argument. It has more holes than cheesecloth. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/774 "2022-03-01T22:54:36Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Waste of fuel. > Use some ordnance to create big craters in. the road and off it. Make them detour. Or… _“Somebodys gotta go back and git a Shit-load of Dimes!”_ ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/775 "2022-03-01T23:03:06Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > > [@Akaj](#): > > > > Hmmm … if winter would have been a better time to invade, that supports my pet theory that Putin waited until after the Olympics to get one last burst of glory before the world shut his athletes out of all competition. > > It’s more likely an agreement with China. I’d buy that. “OK, you let our doped-up skaters compete, and we won’t steal the headlines until the games are over.” ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/776 "2022-03-01T23:15:25Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I thought it might be something like that. News reports keep showing aerial photos of vehicles pretty much nose-to-tail. If they were spaced at 40-foot intervals as all those photos seem to imply, that would be an implausible 5,280 vehicles. Heck, all the photos I’ve seen show then not only nose to tail, but often 2-3 wide. I expect at those spots they’re either stopped for some logistical reason, or stuck in a traffic jam behind one or more broken down vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/777 "2022-03-01T23:15:46Z")
How much food does a city of 2 million like Kyiv usually have to last? I could see the Russians encircling it and simply trying to starve them out. ---
**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 1, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/778 "2022-03-01T23:54:17Z")
[https://www.yahoo.com/news/zelensky-assassination-plot-foiled-ukrainian-225404968.html](https://www.yahoo.com/news/zelensky-assassination-plot-foiled-ukrainian-225404968.html) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/779 "2022-03-01T23:55:50Z")
The Russian campaign to “de-Nazify” Ukraine has now bombed a Holocaust memorial on the site of Babi Yar. > > ---
**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 1, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/780 "2022-03-01T23:56:49Z")
Even if it’s only three or four weeks, given the pressure being put on Russia’s financial stability, I suspect Putin feels like he doesn’t have the time to wait for that. I expect him to press harder and harder with everything at his disposal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=38) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=40)