When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, it seems did not count on an unusual but effective “weapon» which the second had at its disposal: the her infamous mud.
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine coincided with “period of muddy roads” the “Rasputitsa” in Russian. This is a phenomenon that occurs twice a year: in the spring – when the ice melts and the territory of the country becomes literally impassable as it turns into mud – and in autumn with the first heavy rains.
The mud slowed down Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially in the north of the country which has more forests. Besides, several photos and videos have been released with Russian tanks, trucks and armor stuck in the mud and abandoned.
It is believed that the leaders of the Russian Armed Forces were surprised, as they believed that the army and its vehicles would be better prepared for the conditions they would face and would not fall into the… moving sand – or mud, in this case.
Anyway, once again history could have taught them. The mud was also the one that delayed Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812while the same problems encountered and Hitler’s troops in 1941.
Many were those who believed that Moscow would take a walk in Ukraine and would achieve a quick victory. However, according to analysts, the first phase of the war showed a lack of planningreadiness and tactics on the part of the Russian army, which failed on the northern front of Ukraine.
In particular, the difficulties faced by the Russian army with the mud show “real problems with his professionalism“, According to Maximilian Hess, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
«It’s a real question. The Russians have been doing all these military exercises to invade a foreign country for a decade. But they did not think – or did not have the coordination – to place the right units in the right places and to move in the right way to face something. [τη λάσπη] which has been known to be a problem for 300 years“, He comments characteristically.
Although it is estimated that Russian military vehicles can generally deal with mud, the fact that they all used the same route was what created the problem. This, however, could have been foreseen by any high-ranking military man with knowledge of the area.
End, the large area of Ukraine was another problem for the Russian invaders. Many units moved away from the north of the country and were stationed on the east or south front, where the second phase of the war was taking place.
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