# Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion, breaking-news\ **Created:** [October 29, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972 "2022-10-29T17:49:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 140
**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:** [March 10, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2835 "2023-03-10T20:58:07Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > For whatever reasons, the Ukrainian government has chosen or been persuaded not to attack very far over the border. The Ukrainians have launched drone attacks deep in Russian territory, most notably using a Soviet-era Tu-141 to strike Engels airbase back in December, damaging a Russian strategic bomber. There have been a couple other cases using smaller drones more recently as well. Ukrainians haven’t been striking targets deep in Russia because they largely lack the capability to do so. If they have weapons that could strike accurately at long range, I’ve little doubt that logistics bases in Rostov and Belgorod would be targeted, as would any military airbase they could reach. I think they do have some Tochka-U ballistic missiles, but these aren’t very accurate and the Ukrainians are acutely aware that their continued support from the west is dependent on them not producing any headlines about mass civilian casualties in Kursk or wherever. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2836 "2023-03-11T03:36:35Z")
The US has told Ukraine not to strike into Russia with US supplied weapons, but Ukraine has hit Russian territory with domestic weaponry. I have very mixed feelings on this strategy to avoid the worst escalation. ---
**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 11, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2837 "2023-03-11T14:27:50Z")
## No debates on this policy in this thread. I think there is already one for this or a new one can be started. #ukraine-invasion ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2838 "2023-03-11T18:55:46Z")
I really like the backup backup guy with the Russian flag inserted up his ass. [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fqh4-TgXwAE1_eg?format=jpg&name=medium) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fqh4-TgXwAE1_eg?format=jpg&name=medium) ---
**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:** [March 11, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2839 "2023-03-11T20:02:00Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I really like the backup backup guy with the Russian flag inserted up his ass. I think that’s bare-chested Putin and in front of him is Prigozhin. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2840 "2023-03-11T21:33:22Z")
I think you’re right, and also that it’s poking fun at how short Putin is. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2841 "2023-03-11T23:13:13Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I think that’s bare-chested Putin and in front of him is Prigozhin. I think you’re right, I never thought of that. The bare chest should have clued me in. I was trying to figure out why the flag guy was wearing a yarmulke. I guess that’s hair. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2842 "2023-03-12T11:16:54Z")
I was just browsing the [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_aid_to_Ukraine_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_War) on who is donating what to the Ukrainians. Philip Morris International has donated a half-million packs of cigarettes. Of course long-term health threats to these soldiers is a secondary concern, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2843 "2023-03-12T14:48:51Z")
Given what (little) I know about Easter Europe, cigarette smoking is still kind of ubiquitous and deprivation could definitely lower morale. “Smoke 'em if you got 'em, boys!” ---
**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 12, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2844 "2023-03-12T17:46:11Z")
a new visual on the result of the russian “wave” attacks: (not too “graphic” - aereal photo of an open field with plenty of dead russians) link spoiler’d [This text will be blurred](https://twitter.com/Biz_Ukraine_Mag/status/1611719876548399107/photo/1) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2845 "2023-03-12T18:13:43Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Given what (little) I know about Easter Europe, cigarette smoking is still kind of ubiquitous and deprivation could definitely lower morale. “Smoke 'em if you got 'em, boys!” A quick search told me that there are 500k Ukrainians in the fight right now. That’s one pack of ciggies each. That won’t even last a week. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2846 "2023-03-12T19:26:21Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > A quick search told me that there are 500k Ukrainians in the fight right now. That’s one pack of ciggies each. That won’t even last a week. Sure, but how many Russians will surrender for a pack of smokes? Hell, some of the convicts are used to trading single cigarettes. 🚬 🪖 ---
**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:** [March 12, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2847 "2023-03-12T20:33:10Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > a new visual on the result of the russian “wave” attacks: > > (not too “graphic” - aereal photo of an open field with plenty of dead russians) > > link spoiler’d > > [This text will be blurred](https://twitter.com/Biz_Ukraine_Mag/status/1611719876548399107/photo/1) That photo was from a couple of months ago (and already posted in this thread). Here’s an equivalent from today, released by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: [https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1634676866056331266](https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1634676866056331266) ---
**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:** [March 12, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2848 "2023-03-12T20:46:28Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Here’s an equivalent from today, released by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: I hope they all remembered to keep the sunflower seeds in their pockets, so at least they can make some kind of positive contribution. ---
**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 12, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2849 "2023-03-12T21:04:55Z")
Another complication that Putin created. The last paragraph describes years of work to form allies on these countries. Link [‘Russia has lost its soft power’: how war in Ukraine destabilises old Soviet allies | Russia | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/11/russia-has-lost-its-soft-power-how-war-in-ukraine-destabilises-old-soviet-allies) > [@](#): > > From Yerevan to Chișinău, and Tbilisi to Astana, the invasion of [Ukraine](https://www.theguardian.com/world/ukraine) has amplified fears of Russian aggression in some countries and forced others, considered allies, to at least reappraise Moscow’s role as a stable partner. And it has accelerated a trend among young people who were born after the Soviet Union era to take a more vocal stance against Russian influence in the region. > > “Russia has lost its soft power,” said Kakachia. “They don’t know how to use it any more with their neighbours. They just use this brutal force.” > > Russia’s actions have backfired in many ways. It has seen Ukraine receive unprecedented military aid from a US-led coalition; Finland and Sweden apply for Nato membership; and the west has shown unexpected fortitude in imposing sanctions on Moscow and resisting the use of Russian energy. > > Among Moscow’s near neighbours, years of work to cultivate political elites, develop a reliance on Russian security guarantees and instil local nostalgia for the Soviet Union have also been shaken by Russia’s gamble in Ukraine. ---
**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 12, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2850 "2023-03-12T21:30:59Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > That photo was from a couple of months ago (and already posted in this thread). sorry to say you are right! … I should have vetted it more … 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2851 "2023-03-12T21:42:15Z")
Yeah, Russia still has a lot of influence in lots of countries, and not just their neighbors. And cooperation with Iran has probably increased in the past year. But, the invasion and their performance has definitely driven more countries away. The background discussions must be fascinating. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2852 "2023-03-12T22:21:15Z")
So… The Institute for the Study of War had this to say yesterday: > Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that there is infighting in the Kremlin inner circle, that the Kremlin has ceded centralized control over the Russian information space, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently cannot readily fix it. What does it mean that the Kremlin has “ceded centralized control over the Russian information space”? Is this saying that Putin does not have control over a propaganda arm to put out the usual bullshit to the Russian people? Will Russians actually start to hear about what a fuck-up this war has been? Russia is still getting slaughtered in Bakhmut, with a recent claim of 1100 deaths and 1500 serious wounded in less than a week. Will Russians actually start to get information like this now? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2853 "2023-03-12T22:55:46Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > What does it mean that the Kremlin has “ceded centralized control over the Russian information space”? For one thing, it means that people like Zakharova (i.e., not Putin) are able to say that there’s infighting in the inner circle. Up until now, saying things like that has been a windowable offense. We’ll see if it was this time. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/2854 "2023-03-13T02:55:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > windowable offense If “windowable offense” doesn’t become a band name it should make it into the next dictionary update. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=139) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=141)