# Russia invades Ukraine -- The regional situation **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349 "2023-12-30T18:43:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**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:** [July 26, 2024, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/381 "2024-07-26T22:45:51Z")
I’d be curious to see what medical supplies Russia is still receiving or importing from the West, and may be sanction-able - in particular, whether the antibiotics or anything else used to treat Russian soldiers for sepsis or infection are coming from the West. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/382 "2024-07-27T01:36:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > in particular, whether the antibiotics or anything else used to treat Russian soldiers for sepsis or infection are coming from the West Standard antibiotics, some, but maybe not as much as you might think. Russia produced ~570 tons of antibiotics in 2020. Even with potential curtailment/logistic issues caused by shortage of raw materials affected by sanctions and stop in flow of non-generics, the military may be pinched but probably not cripplingly so. Especially as the well-being of the common soldiers has never been an overwhelming priority in the Russian military. Though ordinary citizens will still see the shortages far earlier (and have). In February there was a review article discussing how efficacious the current medical sanctions may be and whether potential collateral damage to the civilian population is worth it in the [Journal of Bioethics](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15265161.2024.2308163). Excerpted from concluding paragraphs: _…Medical sanctions in Russia are accomplishing little, whether in terms of compliance, erosion, or signaling, but dangerously threaten the fundamental human right to adequate health care. This right is not derogable and not subject to sanctions under any circumstances._ _…Short on distinct benefits, stymied by intricate avenues of implementation, and_ _encumbered by the substantial and indefensible risks they place on all the sick and injured of conflict, medical sanctions have no ready place in modern diplomacy or war._ ---
**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:** [July 27, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/383 "2024-07-27T14:30:18Z")
You can always tell what the Russian state is thinking by listening to its propaganda: > **[Russia’s new punching bag: Kamala Harris](https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-punching-bag-joe-biden-us-elections-2024-washington-kremlin-propaganda-moscow/)** > > While the Kremlin is playing it cool, its army of propagandists is rolling out its full racist and sexist arsenal. The Russians are terrified of Kamala Harris because she is sharply pro-Ukraine and comes with the uncertainty of an unknown policy and cabinet (including National Security and Defense) which makes it hard for Russia to strategise against. Russia also failed to push its favourites in France over the top and a grab of the EU Presidency by the right has failed. If the US and Europe continue to staunchly support Ukraine, Russia is toast. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/384 "2024-07-27T20:05:14Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Kamala Harris because she is sharply pro-Ukraine I hope you are right. I have heard worried voices in Europe claiming that Ms Harris is more Pacific (pacificist sounds miunderstandable) oriented than Atlantic (atlanticist is more accepted) oriented; perhaps because she is not from the East Coast, but from California, she seems to be more worried about China than about NATO and Ukraine. Or so some people claim. No doubt that she is better than tanTrump in this respect too! And less corrupt and less in the hands of Putin. But she may not be as staunchly pro-ukrainian as I would wish. Let’s hope you are closer to the truth than me! ---
**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:** [July 27, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/385 "2024-07-27T20:51:55Z")
There is some uncertainty as of course almost every comment Kamala has made has been while she was serving as Vice President to Biden > Harris said in an interview with NBC News this year that Ukraine can continue to count on support from Washington as the war drags on. “Ukraine needs our support,” Harris said. “And we must give it.” > > At this year’s Munich Security Conference, Harris also reiterated the Biden administration’s pledge of supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/21/kamala-harris-foreign-policy-00170143](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/21/kamala-harris-foreign-policy-00170143) ---
**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:** [July 28, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/386 "2024-07-28T15:14:32Z")
This is worth discussing without the breaking news restrictions. Ukraine has waited so long for the F-16’s to arrive. Russia is already probing and looking for any that have been delivered. Targeting an airfield isn’t a new idea. How did militaries protect them in other wars? > **[Ukraine's hopes and challenges after long wait for F16s](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kr240gd18o)** > > Russia intends to destroy dozens of US-built warplanes as soon as they arrive in Ukraine. > [@](#): > > Until now the Ukrainian air force has largely relied on “dispersed operations” to ensure its warplanes are not hit on the ground, according to Prof Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for air power and technology at Royal United Service Institute. > Planes and equipment are regularly moved around within or between bases, he explains, so “if Russia does launch an airstrike, they’ll probably just hit an empty tarmac or grass”. > > But that may have to change if Ukraine is to protect its valuable fleet of Western aircraft from Russian missiles. > > F-16s require perfectly smooth runways swept clear of stones and other small items of debris, if they are not to run the risk of engine failure. > > Any attempt to improve the infrastructure on existing bases will become visible to “Russian observation whether orbital or human intelligence sources,” Prof Bronk believes. > [@](#): > > There is no indication that the F-16s have yet arrived in Ukraine, although Kyiv-based aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynsky suggests Russian forces are “probing” Ukrainian airfields because they believe they might be. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/387 "2024-07-28T20:01:08Z")
The Soviet planes that Ukraine had previously been mostly using are a lot more tolerant of poor runway conditions, so there were a lot more places you could move them to. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/388 "2024-07-29T13:03:09Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Targeting an airfield isn’t a new idea. How did militaries protect them in other wars? [ Israel uses underground bunkers.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramat_David_Airbase) > [@](#): > > fighter jets are housed in a large underground hangar system into which they disappear after each landing and which has several entrances and exits. This protects them from missiles and at the same time hides them ---
**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:** [July 29, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/389 "2024-07-29T14:43:43Z")
> **[Polish Foreign Ministry suggests Hungary leave EU, NATO after Orban's...](https://kyivindependent.com/polish-foreign-ministry-suggests-hungary-leave-eu-nato-after-orbans-controversial-statements/)** > > "I do not understand why Hungary wants to remain a member of organizations that they dislike so much and that supposedly mistreat them," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski said. > “I do not understand why Hungary wants to remain a member of organizations that they dislike so much and that supposedly mistreat them. Why does he (Orban) not form a union with (Vladimir) Putin and with some authoritarian states of this type?” Bartoszewski said. > > “It is the principle that if you do not want to be a member of some club, you can always withdraw. Certainly, this is an anti-EU, anti-Ukrainian, anti-Polish policy at the moment.” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/390 "2024-07-30T13:58:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > “I do not understand why Hungary wants to remain a member of organizations that they dislike so much and that supposedly mistreat them" Here’s one possible reason: > **[How Hungarian PM's supporters profit from EU-backed projects](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/how-hungarian-pms-supporters-profit-from-eu-backed-projects)** > > While Viktor Orbán has criticised EU, some of his friends and family have won EU-funded infrastructure contracts ---
**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:** [August 1, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/391 "2024-08-01T13:23:53Z")
This sounds even more horrific for soldiers in future wars. Imagine when AI is introduced. It sounds like the Russian Zala Lancet has a basic AI. I certainly hope the NATO countries are updating training for the modern battlefields. Even compared to Afghanistan 10 years ago; the war in Ukraine is much different. > **[Ukraine thrown into war's bleak future as drones open new front](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cne4vl9gy2wo)** > > On the front line, drones are killing hundreds every day - showing the world a new kind of high-tech war. > **[Russia Boosts Production And Displays New ‘Swarming’ Version Of Lancet-3...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2023/07/18/russia-boosts-production-and-displays-new-swarming-version-of-lancet-3-kamikaze-drone/)** > > A Russian news report details plans to scale up production of a loitering munition, describes a new swarming version - and comments on Forbes account of the weapon. > [@](#): > > “It has detected the Zala Lancet Russian drones,” says Senior Lt Yevhenii, 53, from the front passenger seat, describing one of the most powerful long-range Russian drones and its targeting drone. “Is that why we’re driving so fast?” I ask, aware that the drone-jamming antenna is useless against a Lancet. > > “We’re not a priority for them, but it’s still better not to slow down because it’s very dangerous,” says Yevhenii, from the Khartia Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard. > > The jamming equipment blocks roughly 75% of frequencies that drones use to communicate with their operators, but **some like the Lancet are difficult to block because they are entirely autonomous once their target has been marked**. Because of the Lancet’s power, it tends to be used on larger targets, such as armoured vehicles or infantry positions, the Ukrainians say. > [@](#): > > the Lancet relies on an [imported U.S.-made Jetson TX2 chip](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2023/03/28/does-russias-smartest-weapon-have-an-american-brain/) for its brains. > > As we reported, this chip is designed to provide AI capability, but Zakharov appears to dispute the use of the term ‘artificial intelligence’ applied to the Lancet ---
**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:** [August 1, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/392 "2024-08-01T14:11:22Z")
Russia is using the best US tech. NVIDIA’s chip has basic AI. It learns and adapts. The link to the video tracking a person on a bike is very dystopian. > **[Russia’s Smartest Weapon May Have An American Brain](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2023/03/28/does-russias-smartest-weapon-have-an-american-brain/)** > > The Lancet-3M loitering munition has been one of Russia's most effective weapons in its invasion of Ukraine. New evidence suggests it's powered by a U.S.-made AI computing module. > [@](#): > > The [Jetson TX2](https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/jetson-tx2) is a credit-card sized unit that the makers describe as “the fastest, most power-efficient embedded AI computing device. This 7.5-watt supercomputer on a module brings true AI computing at the edge.” It is one of a [new generation of processors](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2021/08/19/new-qualcomm-release-to-drive-next-gen-smart-drones/?sh=486f47743f97) designed to bring advanced machine learning and AI to mobile devices like drones. > > For example, most drones require the operator to fly them and point the camera at an object of interest. But newer consumer [drones like the Skydio 2,](https://developer.nvidia.com/blog/skydio-2-jetson-tx2-drone/) powered by an NVIDIA Jetson 2, fly themselves – you just launch the drone and tell it to follow you as you ski, skateboard or bike. It automatically avoids obstacles and keeps you in the frame – [video here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imt2qZ7uw1s). ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/393 "2024-08-01T17:13:01Z")
Nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/394 "2024-08-02T13:08:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Russia is using the best US tech. NVIDIA’s chip has basic AI. > … That kind of thing is very hard to embargo - export control of industrial equipment and electronics often relies on the criteria of “military environmental specs (temperature, shock, vibration, radiation)” or “capabilities in excess of what civilian industry needs”. Only, if reliability is not a critical issue, you can use electronics with consumer-grade environmental specs. Also Russian engineers are very good if only the system lets them do their thing. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/395 "2024-08-02T17:19:36Z")
Chips are also very small for their value, which makes them easy to smuggle. And the price you can sell them for in Russia is much higher than the price you can buy them for in the First World, so a smuggler has a high margin and can afford to lose a lot of product if necessary. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/396 "2024-08-02T21:01:40Z")
Imagine being a 10 year old girl and suddenly your parents surprise you with the news you’re Russian, and next thing you know Vladimir Putin is welcoming you to the motherland in Spanish. > ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/397 "2024-08-03T00:58:08Z")
Those poor kids. That’s got to suck for them. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/398 "2024-08-03T06:40:07Z")
Hungary having extended their ‚national card‘ program for guest workers, to Russian and Belarusian nationals, by low profile government decree on 9 July, has grave security implications for the Schengen area. > **[Brussels asks Hungary to explain the easing of visa rules for Russians](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/08/02/we-will-act-brussels-asks-hungary-to-explain-the-easing-of-visa-rules-for-russians)** > > Hungary's National Card scheme simplifies visa procedures and security screenings for "guest workers" coming from Russia and Belarus. #EuropeNews ---
**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:** [August 3, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/399 "2024-08-03T13:53:42Z")
How does that even work? If they were being exchanged, presumably that means they were caught. Wouldn’t the kids have found out then? ---
**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:** [August 3, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/400 "2024-08-03T14:07:28Z")
More details here although I assume when the parents were arrested the details were kept from the children (the article doesn’t go into any detail about that because presumably it isn’t known). > **[Russian spies' children learnt their nationality after prisoner swap](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cljyj9jp993o)** > > The Dultsev children thought they were from Argentina and cannot speak Russian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349.md?page=21)