Rasputitsa (from Russian: распу́тица [rɐsˈputʲɪtsə]; literally "season of bad roads"[1]), also called bezdorizhzhia (from Ukrainian: бездорі́жжя; ),[2] is the mud season that occurs in various rural areas of Eastern Europe,[2] when the rapid snowmelt or thawing of frozen ground combined with wet weather in spring, or heavy rains in autumn,[1][3] lead to muddy conditions that make travel on unpaved roads problematic and even treacherous.[1][3]
Rasputitsa has repeatedly affected wars by causing military vehicles and artillery pieces to become mired in the mud. In conjunction with the general conditions of winter, rasputitsa has been credited with encumbering the military campaigns of Napoleonic France in 1812 and Nazi Germany during Operation Barbarossa, as well as all belligerents in the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war.[3]
- ^ a b c Dunlop, Storm (January 2008). "Rasputitsa". Oxford Dictionary of Weather (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199541447. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Amid the Slog of Mud Season, the Ukrainian Military Keeps Advancing". New York Times.
- ^ a b c "Ukraine thaw could slow Russian advance in mud". France24.