# 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:** 2
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/21 "2022-10-30T15:38:15Z")
Yesterday: > **[Sevastopol: Unmanned surface vehicles hit Admiral Makarov, flagship of...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/sevastopol-unmanned-surface-vehicles-hit-051052181.html)** > > UKRAINSKA PRAVDA - SUNDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2022, 07:10 At least three ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including the Admiral Makarov flagship, were damaged as a result of the unmanned surface vessel \[USV\] attack on 29 October. > [**UKRAINSKA PRAVDA**](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/) – SUNDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2022, 07:10 > > At least three ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including the Admiral Makarov flagship, were damaged as a result of the unmanned surface vessel [USV] attack on 29 October. [https://www.yahoo.com/news/western-weapons-ukraine-turning-tables-143602031.html](https://www.yahoo.com/news/western-weapons-ukraine-turning-tables-143602031.html) > Ukraine now has artillery superiority in the area, commanders and military analysts say… > > Falling rates of Russian fire also speak to ammunition shortages, he said. “There is an idea the Russian army is infinite, but it is a myth,” he said. “The intensity of fire has fallen by three times. It’s realistic to fight them.” ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/22 "2022-10-30T16:08:12Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > interesting vid that gives some vision on the intensity of life in a war … Christ, that’s pathetic. Total disorganization, nobody knew what they were supposed to do. And that wasn’t even particularly heavy shelling. They finally get their shit together and the driver can’t even stay on the road. I really hope this is the best Putin has to offer. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/23 "2022-10-30T16:28:57Z")
And it sounds like poor old “Unintelligible, possibly a name?” got left behind! ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/24 "2022-10-30T16:30:46Z")
What’s Russian for slowpoke? ---
**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 30, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/25 "2022-10-30T16:31:20Z")
Judging by the truck rolling at the end perhaps it was better anyway. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > What’s Russian for slowpoke? In the military, I’m sure _bilyets_ serves. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/26 "2022-10-30T16:49:46Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 1)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/10071): > [@Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 1)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/10071): > > Have y’all seen [this article](https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/ukraine-crisis-russia-base?fbclid=IwAR2F6QYegmLUhASlosfI1KOzatz1Dufdpe0pSOKtUJxbRj_0yatV0HaLJ3w)? I thought the report addressed to “Товарищ комаидующий” was interesting. Reuters translates it to “Comrade commander”. That’s certainly how it would have translated in Soviet times, but is that still what it means? Are they seriously still running around calling each other “Comrade” thirty years after the end of communist rule? I realize “товарищ” more generically translates as “friend”, but is it a typical military honorific in Russia? It certainly wouldn’t be in an American status report. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/27 "2022-10-30T17:03:15Z")
I’ve heard it used in video translations of Russian soldiers. The [Soviet Victory Banner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Banner_(Soviet_Union)) has also appeared a few times in Ukraine: > Russian military have also been seen with USSR patches. Here’s somebody with one alongside General Lapin, commander of the Special Military Operation: > ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/28 "2022-10-30T17:23:41Z")
> **[Russian officers complain about equipment theft by soldiers](https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-officers-complain-equipment-theft-125500756.html)** > > Russian officers are complaining about thefts of military equipment by their own soldiers in Ukraine: they’re steal thermal imagers and send them home, one officer said in an intercepted phone call shared by Ukrainian intelligence on Telegram on Oct.... > “Movement starts when it gets dark. Never give it (a thermal imager) to a soldier. It’s better go into battle yourself. Because these f\*\*\*ing soldiers grab everything and send that home. So many imagers have been stolen.” ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/29 "2022-10-30T17:38:06Z")
And this is when corruption starts to get non-sensical. I can understand some guy in a warehouse selling off equipment for money, but these guys on the front line need that stuff to have even a chance of survival. Who in their right mind would sell off their own equipment, that they need _right now?_ Deserters selling their stuff while running away, okay, that makes sense. But these guys are apparently still fighting… ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/30 "2022-10-30T17:40:00Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Deserters selling their stuff while running away, okay, that makes sense. But these guys are apparently still fighting… Mentally, they’re already gone. They’re just looking for the first opportunity to ditch and run. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/31 "2022-10-30T17:46:45Z")
And/Or they assume they’re going to die anyway with or without thermal imagers but maybe their family can get a few bucks out of it by selling the equipment. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/32 "2022-10-30T19:45:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Because these f\*\*\*ing soldiers grab everything and send that home. So many imagers have been stolen.” This is what happens when your government is a fascist kleptocracy. You reap what you sow. Oh, and Putin is, ironically, the only real fascist major nation world leader. As is common he started as a right wing Populist, then became a fascist dictator, just like Hitler and Mussolini. (I say "major nation as some of the 'stans, and similar minor nations also qualify). ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/33 "2022-10-30T19:57:49Z")
Or are the officers stealing the stuff and blaming the conscripts? ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/34 "2022-10-30T20:08:10Z")
There are reports that Ukrainian pilots will soon head to America for training on F-15s and F-16s. My hope is that it’s the Strike Eagle variant, and not the lamer F-15C. ---
**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 30, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/35 "2022-10-30T20:49:07Z")
> [@abcdefghij](#): > > I thought the report addressed to “Товарищ комаидующий” was interesting. Reuters translates it to “Comrade commander”. That’s certainly how it would have translated in Soviet times, but is that still what it means? Are they seriously still running around calling each other “Comrade” thirty years after the end of communist rule? I realize “товарищ” more generically translates as “friend”, but is it a typical military honorific in Russia? It certainly wouldn’t be in an American status report. isn’t the (generic) military famous for that typ of weirdness? _“ **Sir, yes, Sir** ”_ or the spanish (and also french) _“ **Si, MI general** ”_ ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/36 "2022-10-30T20:58:17Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > isn’t the (generic) military famous for that typ of weirdness? > > _“ **Sir, yes, Sir** ”_ > > or the spanish (and also french) > > _“ **Si, MI general** ”_ [![](https://y.yarn.co/e40e8960-75a5-413e-8b42-6d48419bdfa6_text.gif) ](https://y.yarn.co/e40e8960-75a5-413e-8b42-6d48419bdfa6_text.gif) ---
**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 30, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/37 "2022-10-30T22:09:48Z")
There was this image of a soldier holding a yellow and blue flag in Red Square captioned “The Kremlin has been liberated!”, below it an image of a flustered Zelenskyy, “Crimea! I said Crimea!” ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/38 "2022-10-30T23:26:16Z")
I’m not surprised the grain export deal ended. Russia was looking for an excuse. Ukraine needs to include a couple camera drones with their attack. Position them away from the action and they would be more likely to survive and return Wide angle footage of the damaged Russian ships would be important intel. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2022, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/39 "2022-10-31T00:14:24Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > Or are the officers stealing the stuff and blaming the conscripts? I believe it’s stealing all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/40 "2022-10-31T00:48:40Z")
Sure, but neither of those translates to anything like [“mate”, “partner”, "pal, “chum”, “helpmate”, “butty”, “mucker”, or “comrade”](https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%89&op=translate). Assuming it’s not a bizarre communist anachronism, it’s just a strangely familiar form of address to ones military commander, which isn’t shared by the English, Spanish, and French ritual phrases you cited. Given the photos in @Walken_After_Midnight’s post, my money is on bizarre communist anachronism. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=3)