# 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:** 87
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1723 "2026-06-16T23:34:01Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Russian frigate has fired warning shots in the Channel against a yacht that “came too close Now, if only it were on its way to relieve the Pacific fleet, it would be so perfect… ---
**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:** [June 16, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1724 "2026-06-16T23:36:32Z")
History doesn’t repeat itself but it rhymes… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1725 "2026-06-16T23:42:43Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Now, if only it were on its way to relieve the Pacific fleet, it would be so perfect… The dry humor here [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9Mdi_Fh9_Ag/maxresdefault.jpg "The Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron - Voyage of the Damned") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mdi_Fh9_Ag&t=1038s) ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1726 "2026-06-17T00:23:37Z")
Starmer and Trump are profoundly weak leaders that will absolutely not stand up to Putin. Let’s not forget that there’s far too much of a chance that Nigel Farage, a man as weak as Starmer and somehow even stupider, will become PM. It also seems that UK law enforcement is far more concerned about Islamic terrorism than the Russian-sponsored variety. Russian defeat is far from being fait accompli. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1727 "2026-06-17T02:39:43Z")
> [@Xocomil](#): > > It also seems that UK law enforcement is far more concerned about Islamic terrorism than the Russian-sponsored variety. There was a recent report that Islamic terrorism in Britain _is_ Russian-sponsored. To be more specific, Russia is paying people in Britain to engage in pro- and anti-Islamic vandalism. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1728 "2026-06-17T13:25:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@JRDelirious](#): > > > > Now, if only it were on its way to relieve the Pacific fleet, it would be so perfect… > > The dry humor here No time to watch the half-hour remaining after the cued point. What’s the joke? ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1729 "2026-06-17T13:45:41Z")
During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, the Russian Baltic Fleet sailed all the way around Europe/Africa to reinforce the Pacific Fleet, eventually culminating in the catastrophic Russian loss at the Battle of Tushima. On the way, the Russian fleet fired on British trawlers because they paranoidly thought they were Japanese torpedo boats. > **[Dogger Bank incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogger_Bank_incident)** > > The Dogger Bank incident (also known as the North Sea Incident, the Russian Outrage or the Incident of Hull) occurred on the night of 21/22 October 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, when the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy mistook civilian British fishing trawlers from Kingston upon Hull in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea for Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo boats and fired on them, also firing on each other in the chaos of the melée. > Two British fishermen died, six more were... This has become something of an internet meme, due so far as I can tell from Drachinifel’s highly amusing Youtube video linked above. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1730 "2026-06-17T13:46:56Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > On the way, the Russian fleet fired on British trawlers because they paranoidly thought they were Japanese torpedo boats. Thank you. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1731 "2026-06-17T17:54:56Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Now, if only it were on its way to relieve the Pacific fleet, it would be so perfect… It would be nice if somehow Ukraine could get some forces into the western Pacific and attack military targets in Vladivostok. I’m sure it’s highly unlikely that they could pull something like that off, but it would be nice to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1732 "2026-06-17T18:17:06Z")
While there have been some deep strikes, they have been targeted against assets that had some direct bearing on Russia’s ability to wage war against Ukraine, such as its petroleum and armaments production. Ukraine doesn’t have the assets to spare for an attack-anything-Russian campaign. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1733 "2026-06-17T18:26:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > No time to watch the half-hour remaining after the cued point. What’s the joke? no joke, just a video about that debacle, with the dry humor in the voice over ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1734 "2026-06-17T19:26:40Z")
Did they man the fleet with draftees who had literally never been to sea before? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1735 "2026-06-17T21:42:32Z")
Yes, mostly illiterate peasants, with no training. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1736 "2026-06-17T22:05:30Z")
Plus ça change **[…](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plus_%C3%A7a_change,_plus_c%27est_la_m%C3%AAme_chose)** ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1737 "2026-06-18T13:37:56Z")
That is what it looks like when a big gas deposit gets a direct hit. I find it incredible that the round top did not break apart. Moscow, 18th june 2026: [![](https://images.handelsblatt.com/mPpuAMDsbx19/cover/2400/1600/63/62/0/0/0.5/0.5/attacke-in-moskau.avif) ](https://images.handelsblatt.com/mPpuAMDsbx19/cover/2400/1600/63/62/0/0/0.5/0.5/attacke-in-moskau.avif) ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1738 "2026-06-18T13:41:41Z")
That looks like a Michael Bay wet dream. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1739 "2026-06-18T13:44:30Z")
I’m curious about the physics there, that results in two separate clouds of smoke, with most of the combustion apparently in the bottom one. Or was it two separate explosions, and combustion has already stopped in the top one? ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1740 "2026-06-18T13:50:03Z")
Funny you ask me, I wish I knew. My guess would be that the grey smoke from the first explosion is due to the explosive warhead, and the black smoke with the orage flames is from the content of the deposit, probably some liquid. The liquid took a second to start burning, it probably needed oxygen, the explosive warhead did not wait for the liquid and rushed ahead. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1741 "2026-06-18T14:05:07Z")
There’s no way a drone carried a big enough explosive to, all by itself, be responsible for that first cloud. The MO in attacking refineries is just a small incendiary, to set off the fuel that’s already there. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349/1742 "2026-06-18T14:14:15Z")
Just a guess, but perhaps the topmost cloud was formed from gas (“gaseous matter”, not "gasoline) and particulates. The bottommost cloud of combustion is burning liquid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349.md?page=86) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-the-regional-situation/995349.md?page=88)