The return of ‘rasputitsa’ and what it means for Russia’s war in Ukraine: Yahoo News Explains
In Russia and Ukraine, there's a season known as “rasputitsa.” Twice a year, when the snow melts in the spring and when drenching rains pour in the fall, the soil turns into thick mud — making it difficult to move cargo and heavy machinery cross-country. In the opening months of the war in Ukraine, Russian forces struggled to mobilize in the mud. So, with the fall fast approaching, could it happen again? Yahoo News explains.
Video Transcript
- In Russia and Ukraine, there's a season known as Rasputitsa. Two times a year, a snow melts in the spring and during heavy rain in the fall, the soil turns into a thick mud, making it difficult to move heavy cargo cross-country.
- Unusually early mud is the password in Russia's Southern Ukraine.
- In the opening months of the war in Ukraine, we saw Russian forces struggle with Rasputitsa.
- They're literally getting stuck in the mud.
- Their tanks are apparently getting stuck in the mud.
- So with the fall fast approaching, could it happen again?
MICK RYAN: I mean, off-road whenever it rains is always a bit difficult. But don't forget tanks and armored vehicles lay their own roads. That's what tank treads are all about. Having looked at the climate there, it appears, particularly in Ukraine, where melting snow and stuff has a larger impact-- I don't think it will have the same impact in the autumn as it would in the spring.
They've been fighting and operating here for hundreds and hundreds of years. And before trucks, there were horse-drawn carts, and horses, and people, and they all have a problem with mud. It doesn't mean it's easy, but they have ways of dealing with it. So I don't think it's as likely in the autumn as it might have been in the spring.
