The climatic factor could have played an important role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with the expected arrival of “thaw”.
The Russian term for “weather of bad roads,” “thick roads,” refers in Ukraine and Russia to the time of year when the ground turns to especially sticky mud.
The phenomenon is caused in spring by higher temperatures and snowmelt, and also occurs in autumn after heavy rains. This is due to the nature of the soil in this region of the world, rich in clay and humus.
RUSSIAN FORCES ARE MORE PROTECTED
The thaw is a formidable weapon for military equipment, which hardly moves through the muddy terrain. Even before the thaw really began, photos of Russian tanks and military equipment bogged down in Ukraine were already swarming on social media.
Video, possibly from a training ground in the Rostov region. Digger helps tanks get stuck in the mud pic.twitter.com/jGFTL5puki across @4emberlen
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) February 10, 2022
This year, according to the latest forecasts, the thaw should appear from mid-March for a period of three to four weeks.
A phenomenon that “makes the earth muddy, the channels of warfare on the pavement of roads and streets,” military historian Michel Goya analyzed last week in the magazine Le Grand Continent. A configuration that forces Russian troops to advance in columns along the main roads and puts them at greater risk of logistical problems and Ukrainian attacks.
LA DESCUE, the fear of the generals
Long before the war in Ukraine, mudslides were already disrupting many conflicts in Eastern Europe. Napoleon’s troops experienced this painful experience, delaying their retreat from Russia in late 1812 to such an extent that a harsh winter overtook them.
During World War II, this phenomenon also defeated Adolf Hitler during his invasion of the Soviet Union.