# 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:** 5
**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 31, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/81 "2022-10-31T16:33:09Z")
> [@SoToasty](#): > > It could have been on auto pilot with control ability slow degrading due to the fire. Does anyone know if Russian helos have any kind of autopilot ability? It’s often difficult just to hover without pilot assistance. Russian aircraft often make less use of electronics for flight, preferring manual controls. ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/82 "2022-10-31T16:37:53Z")
Excellent point. I wouldnt know. But i would think auto pilot for a helo would not be too fificult once off the ground and out of a hover. Possibility, it was a dead pilot with the controls stuck in one position, or aircraft damage making the controls inoperable. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/83 "2022-10-31T16:43:06Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > He could have landed anytime, terrain was perfect. I was thinking the same. LAND IT. But he may have been incapacitated, or the controls totally messed up. Or maybe he was taught by other Russians… ---
**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 31, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/84 "2022-10-31T16:53:17Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I was thinking the same. LAND IT. I was in a helo crash my second tour in Afghanistan. Not a huge fire, but lots of smoke, sparks and lubricants spurting all around. The pilot immediately took us to the ground in a rather harsh landing. I shudder to think what would have happened had he continued to try flying. As it was, several of us got banged up really good. Ended my military career after 12 years. Got out alive, that’s what counts. ---
**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 31, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/85 "2022-10-31T16:55:48Z")
“Any landing you walk away from…” Limp away would be ‘adequate’ I suppose. ---
**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 31, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/86 "2022-10-31T16:58:09Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > He could have landed anytime, terrain was perfect. Had his chance. Muffed it. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > Does anyone know if Russian helos have any kind of autopilot ability? Some helicopters have autopilot, but I doubt a military helicopter on a mission would be on autopilot – if it had one. > [@SoToasty](#): > > Possibility, it was a dead pilot with the controls stuck in one position, or aircraft damage making the controls inoperable. Helicopters are inherently unstable, and require constant, minute control inputs in order to fly. If the pilot(s) were dead, they would not be making these control inputs and the aircraft would fall out of the sky in seconds. That the aircraft was under control for a considerable amount of time indicates that the controls were operable – at lease long enough for the pilot to set it down. > [@SoToasty](#): > > If he was still alive and in control, he may have been thinking get as far away as possible. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > Does anyone know if Russian helos have any kind of autopilot ability? Some helicopters have autopilot, but I doubt a military helicopter on a mission would be on autopilot – if it had one. I can understand that. But it’s stupid. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/87 "2022-10-31T18:24:27Z")
Russia is now reported to be trying to recruit US trained Afghan commandos. These are men who fled from Afghanistan to Iran when US forces withdrew and the Taliban took over again. > **[Russia recruiting U.S.-trained Afghan commandos, vets say](https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-russia-ukraine-iran-europe-taliban-30e2b1ffc7c5ecf2847b654f862723b8)** > > Afghan special forces soldiers who fought alongside American troops and then fled to Iran after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal last year are now being recruited by the Russian military to fight in Ukraine, three former Afghan generals told The... ---
**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 31, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/88 "2022-10-31T18:36:40Z")
A few months ago, there was all that talk of Russia recruiting thousands of Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. I don’t recall seeing any evidence that any actually made it there. ---
**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 31, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/89 "2022-10-31T18:41:22Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > These are men who fled from Afghanistan to Iran when US forces withdrew and the Taliban took over again. Well, they already have lots of experience with running away from the front lines, so they should fit right in with the Russian troops. ---
**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 31, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/90 "2022-10-31T19:57:51Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > A few months ago, there was all that talk of Russia recruiting thousands of Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. I don’t recall seeing any evidence that any actually made it there. I’m guessing they asked for hard currency in advance, and when that wasn’t forthcoming, neither were they. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/91 "2022-10-31T20:34:39Z")
After having been shafted by one major power I’m not sure those Afghans will be eager to deal with another. Although the Russians might want to know more about their training. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/92 "2022-10-31T20:42:42Z")
Why would Afghans assist Russia? The Soviets tried to do to Afghanistan what the Russians are doing to Ukraine. ---
**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 31, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/93 "2022-10-31T20:51:03Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Why would Afghans assist Russia? To fight Nazi’s of course. Or, they are (semi-) trained soldiers with no home, so are mercenaries who are probably relatively cheap. ---
**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 31, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/94 "2022-10-31T20:53:03Z")
They were kinda screwed over by the West, so they might be somewhat amenable to Russia’s anti-Western-Hegemony narrative. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/95 "2022-10-31T20:53:56Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > He had every chance to make a safe landing. I’ve a hunch that the pilot of that helicopter died in the initial strike. Certainly, he was dead once the cabin was nothing but a fireball, but the helicopter just kept on flying for a while after that before the crash. As for the possibility of a competent general taking over, at this point, the only competent move would be “Let’s withdraw for about five years and actually prepare for this war, before starting it again”. Ain’t gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/96 "2022-10-31T20:55:02Z")
They were kind of scewed over by the Soviets, in a rather more spectacular way. I would think they would remember. ---
**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 31, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/97 "2022-10-31T20:57:32Z")
That was 40 years ago. Most of these guys weren’t born yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/98 "2022-10-31T20:59:47Z")
Yeah. Most Southern states in the US haven’t forgotten the Civil War, and that was 150 years ago. The Afghans remember. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/99 "2022-10-31T21:01:27Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > ([UK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom), chiefly [Northern England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_England), [New Zealand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand)) A sandwich, usually with a hot savoury filling in a breadcake. The most common are chips, bacon, sausage and egg. Kind of a Egg McDonald thing then? > [@Cardigan](#): > > Could there be a Russian Ulysses S Grant waiting in the wings somewhere? Purged. > [@DesertDog](#): > > I have read WWII histories of a T-34 driving cross country with a dozen screaming Cossacks – Ukraine didn’t mind being part of the Soviet Union at the time – clinging to the outside, ready to jump off and overwhelm any anti-tank gun crews they came across. Oh they most definitely did. Especially after Stalins genocide. But the Nazis stupidly decided to treat the Ukrainians as conquered rather than liberated. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I was thinking the same. Sinking those cargo ships would cause a major incident. By mines? Maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/100 "2022-10-31T22:02:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve a hunch that the pilot of that helicopter died in the initial strike. Certainly, he was dead once the cabin was nothing but a fireball, but the helicopter just kept on flying for a while after that before the crash. This was my assumption as well, and I think the most reasonable one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972.md?page=6)