# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/61 "2024-01-10T22:50:43Z")
Well, TBH, I doubt Marshal Winter favors the Ukrainians, either. Nature is both sides’ enemy. But I hope that somehow, the Ukrainians are better equipped and prepared for this. I know that the Russians are reportedly very poorly geared for anything, so perhaps that sets a very low threshold. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/62 "2024-01-11T10:51:36Z")
Swedish military chiefs sent out a war alert. I guess it was to shake people up that they might be next on the block if Russia finishes in Ukraine, but I don’t see them as a next likely target. I wonder how capable the Swedes are, militarily speaking? > **[Swedish alarm after defence chiefs' war warning](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67935464)** > > A warning to Swedes to prepare for war from two top defence officials prompts accusations of alarmism. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/63 "2024-01-11T15:21:53Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I wonder how capable the Swedes are, militarily speaking? During the Cold War, they had the fifth largest air force in the world. Sweden went on nationwide alert rather frequently back in the day whenever they’d catch a Soviet sub encroaching on their territorial waters; even dropping depth charges. They knew a larger military was needed to stay neutral than was necessary if allied to one of the superpowers. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/64 "2024-01-11T15:39:27Z")
> **[Sweden edges closer to sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine ](https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden-edges-closer-to-sending-gripen-fighter-jets-to-ukraine/)** > > The Swedish jets are specifically designed to counter Russian air defenses. > Analysts at the Royal United Services Institute, a U.K. think tank, noted in a [report](https://static.rusi.org/SR-Russian-Air-War-Ukraine-web-final.pdf) last year that the Gripen is specifically equipped to counter Russia’s fighter and surface-to-air missile radar… > > “Maybe most importantly, Gripen was from the start designed to counter the threat from Russia.” ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/65 "2024-01-12T16:42:55Z")
I have a drone pilot license for work. There absolutely are regulations about where and at what altitude drones can be flown. I use an app called B4UFLY to find exclusion zones. Here’s a link to a screen shot of the Fort Knox area. The military base itself is restricted. The circles are typically around airports/heliports which also have restricted operations. If I work within one of those zones I have to call air traffic control for permission to fly. > **[Shutterfly Photos. Finally, the perfect solution for all your photos.](https://photos.shutterfly.com/full/1787902938185749)** > > Shutterfly Photos helps you gather and organize your photos and videos so you can easily find, share and enjoy them anywhere. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/66 "2024-01-12T17:33:36Z")
[Putin’s War Is Changing How People Speak in Ukraine](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/putin-s-war-is-changing-how-people-speak-in-ukraine/ar-AA1mONos?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=4a01874c790c4f929f650b9508c09ee2&ei=32) > Most Ukrainians are fluent in Russian and Ukrainian because Russian culture was widespread during the days of the Soviet Union. However, the study’s results showed a dramatic shift from the use of the Russian language to Ukrainian after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022… > > There is evidence that the Russian language was becoming less popular in Ukraine even before the war, following the annexation of Crimea in 2013/2014. The findings by Racek and his team suggest that the current conflict has caused a sharp uptick in those using Ukrainian. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/67 "2024-01-12T17:45:43Z")
> **[Former Russian inmate released to fight in Ukraine sent back to prison for...](https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/01/12/russian-inmate-released-to-fight-in-ukraine-sent-back-to-prison-for-new-murder-he-committed-after-returning-from-front)** > > A court in Russia’s Primorsky region has handed down a seven-year prison sentence for murder to a local man named Maksim Volkovoy, who was previously imprisoned in a separate murder case before joining the war in Ukraine, reportedly as part of Wagner... > A court in Russia’s Primorsky region has handed down a [seven-year prison sentence](https://dalnerechensky--prm.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=sud_delo&srv_num=1&name_op=doc&number=40597322&delo_id=1540006&new=0&text_number=1) for murder to a local man named Maksim Volkovoy, who was previously imprisoned in a separate murder case before [joining](https://t.me/newsvlc/33552) the war in Ukraine, reportedly as part of [Wagner Group](https://t.me/newsvlc/33552). > > According to investigators, after Volkovoy returned from the war, he got into an argument with an acquaintance while drinking at a friend’s house and ended up beating and stabbing the man to death with chairs, a knife, and a bat. Soon he will have to fight in Ukraine again so he can return a condecorated free man so he can go to a friend’s house and have a drink in ~~peace~~ errr… never mind. BTW: For a first murder: eight years sentece. For the second murder: seven. Life is cheap in Russia, and so killing. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/68 "2024-01-12T17:47:20Z")
> [@](#): > > There is evidence that the Russian language was becoming less popular in Ukraine even before the war, following the annexation of Crimea in 2013/2014. I’m not sure what time period is meant by “before the war, following the start of the war”. This war didn’t start in February of 2022. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2024, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/69 "2024-01-12T18:05:04Z")
Ukrainians started turning away from the Russian language after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and they’ve been increasingly communicating in their own language since the start of the current war. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/70 "2024-01-12T18:09:51Z")
The start of the current war was the annexation of Crimea. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/71 "2024-01-17T20:36:40Z")
[Russia’s Kinzhals are frustrating Chinese analysts who want to find out how Beijing’s hypersonic missiles might stack up against US battlefield defenses](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-s-kinzhals-are-frustrating-chinese-analysts-who-want-to-find-out-how-beijing-s-hypersonic-missiles-might-stack-up-against-us-battlefield-defenses/ar-AA1n6ffL) > Modern militaries have been looking to the war in Ukraine as a [proving ground](https://breakingdefense.com/2023/02/what-pentagon-leaders-say-they-have-learned-from-a-year-of-observing-the-battle-in-ukraine/) for advanced weapons. But observers in China hoping to study Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles — one of the most-hyped tools in Beijing’s own arsenal — are signaling they won’t learn much from Moscow… > > “There is more and more evidence showing that what the US and Ukraine say on this matter is true,” the Chinese defense analyst Yin Jie wrote in November… > > The Kinzhal, they concluded, just wasn’t the star that Moscow made it out to be… > > The Kinzhal, this separate analysis said, was at best a “marginal hypersonic missile.” > > “Although Russia calls the ‘Dagger’ a hypersonic missile, analysts from other countries generally believe that the so-called hypersonic ‘Dagger’ missile is actually an air-launched version of the ‘Iskander’ short-range tactical ballistic missile,” it said. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/72 "2024-01-19T14:06:09Z")
It doesn’t sound like NATO believes Russia’s military is significantly degraded. I just posted a link to technology advances coming out of the war in Ukraine. The battlefield is changing fast and a lot is being tested in Ukraine. The big concern is what happens to the massive over 400k Russian army currently in Ukraine after that war ends? Especially if Western support collapses and Ukraine falls. That puts Russian troops all along Poland’s border. It’s interesting that Steadfast Defender 2024 will include a focus on defending Poland. [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-kick-off-biggest-drills-decades-with-some-90000-troops-2024-01-18/](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-kick-off-biggest-drills-decades-with-some-90000-troops-2024-01-18/) > [@](#): > > Allies signed off on the regional plans at their 2023 Vilnius summit, ending a long era in which NATO had seen no need for large-scale defence plans as Western countries fought smaller wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and felt certain post-Soviet Russia no longer posed an existential threat. > During the second part of the Steadfast Defender exercise, a special focus will be on the deployment of NATO’s quick reaction force to Poland on the alliance’s eastern flank. > > Other major locations of the drills will be the Baltic states which are seen as most at risk from a potential Russian attack. Germany - a hub for incoming reinforcements - and countries on the fringes of the alliance such as Norway and Romania. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/73 "2024-01-19T14:17:34Z")
Ukranian drones are hitting oil depots and other valuable buildings in Russia. And this article says that “once the Kremlin halted intensive fighting in Ukraine, Moscow “may need as little as six to 10 years to reconstitute its armed forces”, and the Nato alliance would have be prepared to fend off a Russian attack.” Scary. > **[Ukraine war: Russian oil depot hit in Ukrainian drone attack](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68029235)** > > Fire breaks out over a large area in the Bryansk region, a day after another oil facility is targeted. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2024, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/74 "2024-01-19T14:37:07Z")
No info from the US? WTH? The US is supposed _to be leading_ not trailing along sucking on the cow’s hind tit. UK is sending 20k troops. > **[UK bringing 20,000 troops to upcoming exercise with America and other NATO...](https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2024-01-16/britain-nato-exercise-steadfast-defender-12691570.html)** > > The United Kingdom will soon dispatch 20,000 troops to an exercise bringing together thousands of American and other allied militaries for maneuvers across Europe. > [@](#): > > Steadfast Defender, which will run from February to June, is expected to serve as a testing ground for new NATO defense plans designed to counter the threat posed by Russia. **The U.S. has yet to announce which of its units will join in Steadfast Defender,** but the diverse array of British forces that will take part offers insight into the scale of the upcoming war game. The Royal Air Force’s most modern fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, along with Royal Navy warships and submarines and a full range of ground forces, are among the elements to be deployed, the Defense Ministry said. Link for those who didn’t grow up on farms. 😉 [Suck hind tit - Idioms by The Free Dictionary](https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/suck+hind+tit) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/75 "2024-01-19T14:45:35Z")
You seem to mistake “announcing _which_ units” for “maybe won’t send _any_ units”. You do you, but a calmer less reactionary attitude to something that’s still 13 to 17 months in the future and isn’t actually about war, but about political posturing for deterrence, may serve to reduce your ulcers and lower your blood pressure. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2024, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/76 "2024-01-19T15:12:32Z")
The news said Steadfast Defender 2024 runs Feb to to June. That’s 3 weeks away and the Stars and Strips was published Jan 16. I’m confident the US is participating and units are already prepared to deploy. They just haven’t announced anything yet. I know it seems odd this is 2024. The years are flying by quickly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/77 "2024-01-19T18:52:17Z")
D’oh!!! Thank you. As you can see I was still mentally in 🗓 2023. 🤦‍♂️ ---
**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:** [January 19, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/78 "2024-01-19T19:01:24Z")
I’m still adjusting too. At least my days of writing checks for the wrong year are behind me. I haven’t wrote one in quite awhile ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/79 "2024-01-19T19:15:43Z")
One aspect of this is that it’s a deployment exercise, not just an [FTX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_training_exercise). > “The alliance will demonstrate its ability to reinforce the Euro-Atlantic area via trans-Atlantic movement of forces from North America,” [Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. Europe Command and supreme allied commander Europe for NATO] said in a press briefing Thursday. [https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4417487-nato-mobilizing-for-biggest-military-exercise-since-cold-war/](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4417487-nato-mobilizing-for-biggest-military-exercise-since-cold-war/) Hard to know the scope since US participation is still not publicly inventoried, but the duration would allow for something akin to the Cold War REFORGER exercises (aka “sprint across the Atlantic”). > **[Exercise Reforger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Reforger)** > > Exercise Campaign Reforger ("REturn of FORces to GERmany") was an annual military exercise and campaign conducted by NATO during the Cold War. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact. Although most troops deployed were from the United States, the operation also involved a substantial number of troops from other NATO countries including Canada and the United Kingdom. > The last Reforger ex... Also: The original Stars and Stripes article is paywalled for anyone who’s read more than a few freebie articles there this… week? Year? ---
**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:** [January 19, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/80 "2024-01-19T21:05:05Z")
The $ cost must be high. But it’s important to exercise the logistics of supplying a large force and actually using the military hardware. It’s significant they choose a _winter exercise_. I didn’t realize Stars and Stripes has a paywall. There were several google hits for Steadfast Defender 2024. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349.md?page=5)