# 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:** 397
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8056 "2026-04-14T14:10:55Z")
TL;DR: interesting, no doubt … but don’t expect a revolution or something that changes the war. . I think the “reason to exist” is still more in the PR world and a few edge-cases (which will get talked up) than in real-combat countrywide… Bear in mind this comes from a news outlet from UKR which might have an agenda (beyond mere reporting facts) … Also, if we see more of those ground robots, we will see more countermeasures as well (barbed wire comes to mind or simple spools of plastic curly ribbons like on x-mas presents 😉 ) [![](https://s.alicdn.com/@sc04/kf/H77760751534444378a4706f8d00ac8341/Manufacture-Plastic-Curling-Ribbon-pp-Balloon-Ribbon.jpg) ](https://s.alicdn.com/@sc04/kf/H77760751534444378a4706f8d00ac8341/Manufacture-Plastic-Curling-Ribbon-pp-Balloon-Ribbon.jpg) … right now they have the benefit of 1st movers… but that will not stay this way. (maybe battlefields will look “merrier” in the future) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8057 "2026-04-14T14:53:53Z")
I assume the robots are controlled from afar and do not have the capability to develop their own tactics on the fly, if that’s the case simply jamming the zone to stop them from receiving instructions should render them ineffective. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8058 "2026-04-14T15:00:22Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I assume the robots are controlled from afar Unfortunately, the terminology in common use totally ignores the control aspect of munitions. So when a news article or person talks about a “drone” or “robot” they may or may not be referring to a remotely operated device or an autonomous device. And I think the governments deploying the devices are happy that the common confusion continues. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8059 "2026-04-14T15:01:36Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > We knew that tanks were, if not obsolete, at least no longer rulers of the battlefield. Until they’re also AI drones. And that’s how you get [Bolos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_universe) and [Ogres](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogre_(board_game)). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8060 "2026-04-14T15:46:59Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I assume the robots are controlled from afar and do not have the capability to develop their own tactics on the fly, if that’s the case simply jamming the zone to stop them from receiving instructions should render them ineffective. Depends on the tech used to communicate with them. Some drones are controlled via fiberoptic cable which are immune to jamming. The robots could be controlled the same way. > [@Al128](#): > > Also, if we see more of those ground robots, we will see more countermeasures as well (barbed wire comes to mind or simple spools of plastic curly ribbons like on x-mas presents 😉 ) If the robots’ cameras are good enough to spot such things, equipping them with scissors/wire cutters would allow the controller to avoid that trap. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8061 "2026-04-14T15:50:23Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Depends on the tech used to communicate with them. Some drones are controlled via fiberoptic cable which are immune to jamming. The robots could be controlled the same way. But the cable would entangle with things on the terrain, or with the other robot’s cable, or with itself if the unit has to backtrack… It may work for flying drones in simple trajectories (I don’t think the drones dogfight for example) but for infantry robots doesn’t seem practical. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8062 "2026-04-14T16:00:37Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > But the cable would entangle with things on the terrain, or with the other robot’s cable, or with itself if the unit has to backtrack… That will depend on how robust the robot is. If it’s armored enough that it can ignore small arms fire, it can just go directly to the enemy position and not have to do stuff humans would do to avoid enemy fire (ducking under cover, etc.). That should let it avoid a lot of the terrain issues as well as tangling their lines. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8063 "2026-04-14T16:06:33Z")
I don’t think so, it’s a robot not an anime mecha, it has to take cover, retreat, use paths, avoid hills, use ravines, etc. If it’s just some kind of unstopping terminator that advances in a direct line it would be easy to destroy. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8064 "2026-04-14T16:21:38Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I don’t think so, it’s a robot not an anime mecha, it has to take cover, retreat, use paths, avoid hills, use ravines, etc. You use some of each. Send some fiber-optic controlled mecha directly to attract the enemy’s fire, while the smaller, non-fiberoptic controlled robots are using cover to flank the enemy. Better yet, send out some jammer-attacking drones (similar to anti-radiation missiles that home in on radar emitters) to eliminate the jamming devices and then you don’t have to worry about your robots being jammed. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8065 "2026-04-14T16:23:35Z")
I guess that could work. I can see them being used by casualty-cautious militaries, others would rightly deduce that humans are cheaper and better. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8066 "2026-04-14T16:26:28Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I can see them being used by casualty-cautious militaries, others would rightly deduce that humans are cheaper and better. Which is why Ukraine will probably use robots more in the future while Russia keeps using only living soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8067 "2026-04-14T16:26:50Z")
It would track. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8068 "2026-04-14T17:57:33Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Russia keeps using only living soldiers. From other countries as in post [8051](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8051) above. ---
**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:** [April 29, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8069 "2026-04-29T12:35:46Z")
Rescue robots should be equipped with seats. Ukraine continues to surprise everyone with innovative technologies. > **[How a robot rescued an elderly woman from Ukraine's frontline](https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cpqpjw1zdvjo)** > > The Ukrainian army spotted the woman using a drone and sent the machine to her rescue as she was trying to leave her war-torn village. ---
**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:** [April 29, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8070 "2026-04-29T13:31:33Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > And that’s how you get [Bolos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_universe) and [Ogres](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogre_(board_game)). Somewhere, I still have my _Ogre_ game from the late-'70s. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8071 "2026-04-30T00:35:45Z")
> The Ukrainian army spotted the woman using a drone Ha, a Russian spy for sure! ---
**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:** [April 30, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8072 "2026-04-30T22:11:31Z")
But what was the drone doing in her pajamas? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8073 "2026-05-01T00:28:07Z")
Grocery shopping? ---
**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:** [May 3, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8074 "2026-05-03T22:39:33Z")
It’s not been a great spring offensive for the Russians so far: > **[Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 2, 2026](https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-2-2026/)** > > Russian forces in April 2026 suffered a net loss of territory controlled in the Ukrainian theater for the first time since August 2024. > Russian forces in April 2026 suffered a net loss of territory controlled in the Ukrainian theater for the first time since Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion into Kursk Oblast. > > … > > The Russian rate of advance across the battlefield has been steadily declining since November 2025 as continued Ukrainian ground counterattacks, Ukrainian mid-range strikes, the February 2026 block on Russia’s use of Starlink terminals in Ukraine, and the Kremlin’s throttling of Telegram have exacerbated existing problems within the Russian military. [![](https://understandingwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Gains-including-Infils-from-November-2025-April-2026-1536x1202.webp) ](https://understandingwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Gains-including-Infils-from-November-2025-April-2026-1536x1202.webp) However, Russia might be waiting till May for the big drive. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/8075 "2026-05-10T10:14:59Z")
I was trying to figure out what Putin meant today when he said that the matter with Ukraine is almost over. It was on a quick blurb from NBC. I’m at work so don’t have time to get a really good cite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=396) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=398)