# 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:** 71
**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 6, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1401 "2022-03-06T22:05:38Z")
> Also Russia Today France satellite TV channel was hacked and was showing footage of bombs landing in residential areas. I hope this keeps going as it can really undermine Putin’s propaganda efforts. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1402 "2022-03-06T22:56:31Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > I’ve been trying to track down that story on Belarus, but no luck. It’s entirely possible that this story was propaganda produced by Belarus itself. They’re kind of in a bind; the government there is besties with Putin, and allowed Putin to use their territory to stage a lot of the Russian forces, but at the same time, they can see the shit show that this attack has been so far, and the massive response to it by the rest of the world. They don’t want to piss off Putin, but at the same time, they don’t want to piss off everyone else, so a “Hey man, we tried, but those lazy-assed soldiers of ours wouldn’t go for it!” message is their best hope of walking the tightrope between these two forces, either of which could crush Belarus in short order if they decided to do that. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1403 "2022-03-06T23:04:40Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > It’s entirely possible that this story was propaganda produced by Belarus itself. They’re kind of in a bind; the government there is besties with Putin, and allowed Putin to use their territory to stage a lot of the Russian forces, but at the same time, they can see the shit show that this attack has been so far, and the massive response to it by the rest of the world. That seems plausible to me. Certainly more plausible than the idea that soldiers ordered into battle are able to say “fuck you” to their commanders, and leave the commanders shrugging their shoulders and going, “well, we tried. What can we do?”. Unless maybe the Belarus military is even more fucked up than the Russian one. ---
**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 6, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1404 "2022-03-06T23:07:16Z")
my guess: Belorussia is sitting on the fence and watching how things pan out … if in 10-20 days the russians cannot control ukr (and besiege kiev) - they might cut a deal with “the west” and turn on Putin to get rid of sanctions… No more russian forces on their soil, that kind of staff/deal … Mr.P. surely cannot take on any more conflict there, so any military threats can easily be laughed off … and could be countered with “_shall we indulge in helping out our beloved ukrainian brothers in the south_?”, or was that just miscommunication on your side ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1405 "2022-03-06T23:11:29Z")
> Turkey is closing the strait, and sending supplies to Syria by air is the same as heating an oven with cash. Oh my god, that might be the best metaphor I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1406 "2022-03-06T23:21:16Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > On this side of the Atlantic, we are already seeing energy prices going through the roof. Petrol is over £1.50 a **litre** ; household energy costs are expected to double. 3 years ago gas got down to .99 cents a gallon or .20:Pounds per liter. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1407 "2022-03-06T23:34:18Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > that is a non-trivial detail … what are the chances that - should nukes be used - a certain portion of them not make it to the border of russia and detonate domestically? > > that would prob. be spun into "we just got attacked by NATO with nukes " ;o( Except in that scenario, the nukes probably wouldn’t go off. There’s a lot of stuff in those things that needs to happen in a particular order with particular timings for them to work. If even one step is affected by a missile going off course and/or crashing, the whole thing probably won’t work. You’d have a nasty radioactive mess to clean up, but not an explosion. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Wait… So they accepted payment on the weapons, said the weapons existed, and now they can’t be found so they can’t deliver the weapons they (said they) made? Sound like something the Mafia would do. Or a kleptocracy. Gee, it’s almost as if letting blatant corruption run wild through your country and government has a downside. Why weren’t we told? > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > That’s a lot of “Ifs” to protect a soldier’s life from government retaliation, To be fair, Russia has never needed much of a reason to retaliate against soldiers who were captured and repatriated. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1408 "2022-03-07T00:01:16Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > It’s entirely possible that this story was propaganda produced by Belarus itself. Viktor Gulevich is also one of the people targeted with personal sanctions by the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1409 "2022-03-07T00:10:55Z")
Good news every one! [Trump has figured out how to fix all this!](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10582503/Trump-says-let-situation-Ukraine-continue-slams-paper-tiger-NATO.html?fbclid=IwAR1y6XPzzu6TIUKvgyTE3rLQMxH1FsWSZh7vndo3K6_sfghzO2hdixzcQrU) > Speaking of the situation in Ukraine, Trump told donors that the US should put Chinese flags on America’s F-22s and then ‘bomb the s\*\*\*’ out of Russia ---
**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 7, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1410 "2022-03-07T00:13:45Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > That’s assuming Ukraine is succesful, and Russia doesn’t insist on repatriation of all Russian soldiers. > > That’s a lot of “Ifs” to protect a soldier’s life from government retaliation, They’ve presumably also got family still in Russia. Of course, some of them may also have family in Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1411 "2022-03-07T00:18:03Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > If this true, then it looks like Russian propaganda hasn’t been effective in Belarus, and if Russia was relying on Belarus to invade western Ukraine, that’s not going to happen. Huh. So if that’s the case I wonder how long before Putin turns on them? > [@scabpicker](#): > > I don’t doubt that they could pull more reserves up to the border by train, though. It’s just questionable whether it makes any sense to do so. Sure, up to the border - but supposedly one of the first things the Ukrainians did was sever rails lines at those borders, just like they blew bridges and blocked roads. So, great, Russia gets reinforcements to the border … then what? How do they get them the rest of the way? > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > “Here’s the deal Russian soldier: You can ask for asylum and stay here in the west, or you can return to a Russia that has collapse economically, and where “fast food” now means that the lineup for your 2 potato ration was only 2 hours long.” Yes, and Russian soldier never sees anyone in his family ever again. Amazingly, some people find giving up family very difficult. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1412 "2022-03-07T00:20:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Huh. So if that’s the case I wonder how long before Putin turns on them? He probably won’t, as long as Lukashenko remains in power. After all, even without the dubious contribution of troops from Belarus, they are still letting Russia stage out of their territory, which has been a big help in the northern prong of the encirclement of Kyiv. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1413 "2022-03-07T00:22:05Z")
It just occurred to me that if nothing else this little contretemps has turned Tom Clancy’s “Red Storm Rising” from an all-too-real scenario to outright farce. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1414 "2022-03-07T00:24:08Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yes, and Russian soldier never sees anyone in his family ever again. Amazingly, some people find giving up family very difficult. Missing one’s family is certainly something to think about. But they also have to weigh that against the atrocities they’re asked to commit. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1415 "2022-03-07T00:28:09Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Sure, up to the border - but supposedly one of the first things the Ukrainians did was sever rails lines at those borders, just like they blew bridges and blocked roads. So, great, Russia gets reinforcements to the border … then what? How do they get them the rest of the way? I recall that this was one of the problems that contributed to the stalemates in WWI. Intact rail lines behind the line were great at bringing up equipment and reinforcements, but once there, if they were to be used in an attack, they had to cross no man’s land on their own, which was much more difficult. It also created the problem that the defenders could bring up reinforcements to hold the line faster than the attackers could bring in new units to exploit any openings that the initial attack created. Russia might end up with a great big pile of supplies at the border, that can only move into Ukraine at a trickle. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1416 "2022-03-07T00:29:44Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Huh. So if that’s the case I wonder how long before Putin turns on them? Lukashenko holds his office because Putin props him up, and the country was full of Russian units already. This one would be expected to involve a straightforward disposal of the hesitant leaders and replacing them with more “reliable” ones, in the old tradition. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1417 "2022-03-07T00:30:16Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Russia might end up with a great big pile of supplies at the border, that can only move into Ukraine at a trickle. That actually seems to be the case. They are having a lot of issues moving from nodal hub sites and into the field where the supplies are needed. It’s showing a real problem with the logistics and even tactical doctrine of the Russian military. You have to wonder what would be happening if the Ukrainians actually had a way to strike at their rail hubs. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1418 "2022-03-07T00:44:02Z")
Just the airplane pest again. Looking at Flight Tracker and spotted 3 Rossiya Airlines 747-446 Freighters, two from Moscow and one from Leningrad heading South, one over Cairo and the other two over Turkey. Destination unknown. (as of 6:45pm CST). Ownership getting them out of the country in case Putin tried to Nationalize them for logistics? Or heading for Ethopia (they abstained on voting for UN sanctions on Russia) for unknown purposes? Also worth noting is Turkish Airlines is still flying the Moscow-Istanbul route commercially. Probably not a bad idea to get Europeans and Americans who want out (not to mention folks from elsewhere–and Russians), but still the only one… OK, I’ll leave it be. Just injecting a few random facts to acres of speculation (damn fine speculation, IMHO, but still…) Press on. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1419 "2022-03-07T00:50:45Z")
A green light was given for a transfer of Jets from NATO to the Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/1420 "2022-03-07T00:53:30Z")
Now things are getting serious…with regards to NATO-Russian relations… Can I see a confirmation of this? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=70) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037.md?page=72)