Ukraine War: Like Hitler & Napoleon, Putin's Russian Army Also Struggling In Mud Amid Thaw

It seems like history is once against repeating itself on the battleground as Russia continues its aggressive but slow invasion of Ukraine. Just like the fate of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte's armies, Russian armed divisions are struggling against much slowed down or halted treacherous unpaved roads.

Locals witness twice-yearly season of mud bound streets in the region: Rasputitsa, a phrase that stands both to the seasons themselves and the consequent muddy circumstances on the streets created by melting snow in the spring mixed with heavy rains or wet weather during this time of the year.

While President Vladimir Putin crowded his troops at the Ukrainian border, numerous Western experts expected him to avoid parading in as the weeks passed due to time running out ahead of the great thaw.

While some experts might not have expected Putin's actual intentions, their estimation of the weather conditions has somewhat been on point, as photographs and videos of Russian tanks stuck in the mud have started to appear more often on social media now.

"There were already numerous episodes when Russian tanks and other equipment drove into the fields and got stuck. So the soldiers had to leave the equipment and go on foot," Ukrainian military analyst Mykola Beleskov was quoted as saying by France24.

He also stated that the situation would only worsen with the passing time as the weather keeps heating up and the rain starts to fall.

Like Hitler And Nepoleon, Putin Also Struggles Against Rasputitsa

Military historians have always pointed out that General Mud, or "Rasputitsa", can thwart even the mightiest militaries.Back in 1812, the withdrawal by French emperor Napoleon's armies could not be concluded in time before the rugged winter as it was heavily slowed down due to mud.

A century later, the heavy mudded Ukrainian earth became a struggling ground during Hitler's march to Moscow and later helped in Russia's counter-offensive of 1943. Like all of those historical campaigns, the Rasputitsa is expected by the second half of March and lasts for three to four weeks.

According to Michel Goya, a military historian, worsening conditions will leave Russian generals little choice but to order tanks and armoured vehicles to stick to the main roads, making them more vulnerable to attack.

Ukraine's Key Weapons To Fight Russian Invasion

Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale military invasion on Ukraine regardless of those dangers that could support several Western experts' analysis that the Russian president underestimated Ukraine's resistance and overestimated his own army's capacities.

Furthermore, this mud is quickly turning into one of Ukraine's significant assets as it continues its battle against the Russian invasion, with assistance from Western supplies of ground-to-air Stinger missiles, anti-tank Javelin missiles and their very-own astute use of social media platforms, as per Jason Lyle, a professor in government at Dartmouth College in the US.

Also Read: 'I'll Stay & Protect Them': Indian Doctor Refuses To Leave Ukraine Without Pet Panther & Jaguar