# 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:** 479
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9641 "2022-10-13T15:57:34Z")
It would be if it were real. Plenty of reports out there that the ERA on Russian tanks is either empty boxes, a box filled with egg crate, or other similar for-show-only material. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9642 "2022-10-13T16:05:12Z")
Shades of cargo cult here, if Russians think attaching things that _look_ like ERA is sufficient. Particularly when right next to an enormous glass windshield. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9643 "2022-10-13T16:12:38Z")
Maybe they figure that if they look like they have ERA, the Ukrainians will target the next tank in line. Works only until everyone has fake ERA, then a couple rounds shows that everyone’s is fake, then it’s open season. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9644 "2022-10-13T16:14:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What is ERA? [Explosive Reactive Armor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_armour#Explosive_reactive_armour). Basically, a tin box with plastic explosive in it that goes bang when hit by an anti-tank round. > On attack by a penetrating weapon, the explosive detonates, forcibly driving the metal plates apart to damage the penetrator. Against a shaped charge, the projected plates disrupt the metallic jet penetrator, effectively providing a greater path-length of material to be penetrated. Against a kinetic energy penetrator, the projected plates serve to deflect and break up the rod. As pointed out in the comments, it needs to be mounted on armor plate. If on a soft skin vehicle like the one pictured, when it explodes it causes as much damage inward as it does outward. Not that it matters because what’s in the picture looks more like painted wood blocks than the real stuff. Cargo cult armor, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![mjmartin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3d9bf3/32.png) [@mjmartin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmartin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9645 "2022-10-13T16:14:53Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > you know you are a screw-up if the only countries supporting you are: > > - belarus > - north corea > - nicaragua > - syria I am not surprised by the others, but any idea why Nicaragua is voting with Russia? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9646 "2022-10-13T16:23:20Z")
> [@mjmartin](#): > > any idea why Nicaragua is voting with Russia? Ortega doesn’t have a good history with the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9647 "2022-10-13T16:23:59Z")
> > Russian conscripts “firing” at unknown targets with no clips under their weapons as Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu visited the training ground of the Western Military District… Supply problems, or somebody smart enough to realize that you shouldn’t hand someone a loaded gun unless you’re very sure where they’ll point it? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9648 "2022-10-13T16:30:45Z")
In the bits where they are standing and firing, it looks to me like at least one of the rifles is exhibiting at least some kickback. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9649 "2022-10-13T16:50:09Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Russia is [updating old T-62s.](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-to-modernize-800-vintage-t-62-tanks-due-to-ukraine-losses-report/ar-AA12SQPr?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=66ec1c39751e4bc083ed591365166a26) word is, the Ukr is asking them to print de Owners-Manual in both languages… … makes things so much easier 😉 > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Even worse (better?) would be old Shermans sent to Stalin as part of lend lease. > > Even worse than that would be any leftover captured German Tigers / Panthers / Panzer IVs that were captured during WWII. at least the Ru. would have to stop bitching about germany and the US supplying Ukr. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Forget about the armor on that thing, whatever it is. I’d be concerned about the age of that gentleman. He looks like he could be a veteran of the Soviet-Afghan war. hey, he might only have 2 fingers left, but that doesn’t make him useless (insert one-legged-guy and ass-kicking contest joke here) > [@Gyrate](#): > > Explosive Reactive Armor? Which, whatever those things attached to his minibus are, they are not. am I the only one here, thinking EXPLOSIVE armor on 0.3mm sheetmetal is not a good idea, no matter from which side you look at it??? > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > It would be if it were real. Plenty of reports out there that the ERA on Russian tanks is either empty boxes, a box filled with egg crate, or other similar for-show-only material. they were converted into superyachts ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9650 "2022-10-13T17:08:19Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Putin is threatening WW3 if Ukraine joins NATO. Hasn’t he been grumbling along those lines all along? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2022, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9651 "2022-10-13T17:37:04Z")
Not sure if this is the right thread to share this link but Nikita Kruschev’s granddaughter happens to be a professor of international affairs who very recently returned from Russia. She had some interesting observations about how the country seems to be in shock and living in fear of what the government might decide to do next. She says don’t believe it when you hear about 70% of Russians supporting Putin; it’s more like 20% support him, 30% oppose him and the other 50% just want to be left the hell alone. Putin broke the ‘leave me alone’ social contract when announcing the mobilization. Her remarks begin around 1:20 here: [Hear what professor who just visited Russia noticed - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxrvlcATOvo) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9652 "2022-10-13T19:28:10Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Shades of cargo cult here, if Russians think attaching things that _look_ like ERA is sufficient. The Russians are being called Orcs. Warhammer 40k Ork technology works that way: it works because the Orks believe it works (or are too stupid to understand that it doesn’t work ). Which is why painting war vehicles red makes them go faster, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9653 "2022-10-13T19:42:35Z")
Fake ERA might work against previous-generation armor piercing ammo by causing it to explode farther away, so it’s not a complete cargo cult even if they won’t be facing those types of weapons. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9654 "2022-10-13T20:08:08Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > a few days ago we wondered what the hit on the kerch bridge means logistically… > > well - here you go: > > [https://twitter.com/Andy\_smtrans/status/1580327444317605890](https://twitter.com/Andy_smtrans/status/1580327444317605890) > > and also here: > > [https://twitter.com/trbrtc/status/1580319320458276864?s=20&t=FxNp7fyGrkhRWmcWvP7tPQ](https://twitter.com/trbrtc/status/1580319320458276864?s=20&t=FxNp7fyGrkhRWmcWvP7tPQ) > > . > imho they have 2 options: > > 1. lose a lot of perishable products in those trucks during this weeks of wait or > 2. relax safety again > > (my guess is that they go for option 2. ) … and Ukr. will strike again in a month or so Two things here. The Kerch ferry terminal is in downtown Kerch city, which that image is clearly not (it is much more urban than that). > [@Gorsnak](#): > > A large portion of those trucks are civilian transport carrying basic goods for the people of Crimea. The bridge is a legitimate military target, but grocery distribution trucks are not. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > No frito pie in Sevastopol this weekend. And, if those shots are of Kerch or an area near Kerch, bear in mind that Kerch is in Crimea. Those would be vehicles trying to get out of Crimea, not into it. (The images also do not look like the terminal in Kavkaz – the closest one, nor Yeysck, nor anywhere else I can spot in Krasnodar or Rostov Obls, from a quick scan). ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9655 "2022-10-13T20:53:03Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > And, if those shots are of Kerch or an area near Kerch, bear in mind that Kerch is in Crimea. Those would be vehicles trying to get out of Crimea, not into it. (The images also do not look like the terminal in Kavkaz – the closest one, nor Yeysck, nor anywhere else I can spot in Krasnodar or Rostov Obls, from a quick scan). This might help with the locations: > > > Benjamin Strick @BenDoBrown Yes, these particular backups are on the Crimean side of the strait. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9656 "2022-10-13T21:04:14Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Yes, these particular backups are on the Crimean side of the strait. Even though it’s the Russia to Crimea side of the bridge that was downed? The intact side must be moving traffic in both directions. I suspect intensive inspections probably have as much to do with the backups as the bridge damage. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9657 "2022-10-13T21:13:50Z")
I don’t believe any trucks have been allowed over the remaining span, just light vehicles. There are probably backups just as large on the other side as well, though perhaps goods moving in are more likely to be re-routed around the Sea of Azov to the north. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9658 "2022-10-13T21:52:11Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Even though it’s the Russia to Crimea side of the bridge that was downed? One would have to guess that Russia has prioritized military logistics across the remaining deck of the bridge, perhaps exclusively, so traffic out of Crimea (which really _really_ does not want to go through war zones like the Berdyansk/Mariupol route) has to use the ferries. Cars wanting to leave Crimea probably have to go through the Kerch downtown terminal, which I suspect suits Russia just fine as they would rather not have civilian Russians fleeing their precious Crimea (or their cannonfodder, for that matter). ---
**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:** [October 14, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9659 "2022-10-14T00:07:05Z")
Ukr thermal’d a Ru ammunition warehouse in Belgorod (Ru) > > the cumulative effect of those needlepricks makes everything so much more costly to Ru (logistics, workarounds, add’l resources, …) … and it’s like the Ukr is playing cat-and-mouse with them … ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/9660 "2022-10-14T01:57:36Z")
Elon Musk to Ukraine/US: “Nice war you got here. Would be a shame if something happened to it.” > > **[Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX says it can no longer pay for critical satellite...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/politics/elon-musk-spacex-starlink-ukraine/index.html)** > > Since they first started arriving in Ukraine last spring, the Starlink satellite internet terminals made by Elon Musk's SpaceX have been a vital source of communication for Ukraine's military, allowing it to fight and stay connected even as cellular... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=478) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=480)