Rasputitsa

Rasputitsa (Sea of Mud), 1894, Alexei Savrasov

The rasputitsa (Russian: распу́тица; IPA: [rɐsˈputʲɪt͡sə]) refers to the biannual seasons when unpaved roads become difficult to traverse in parts of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The word may be translated as the "quagmire season" because during this period the large flatlands become extremely muddy and marshy, as do most unpaved roads. The term applies to both the "spring rasputitsa" and "autumn rasputitsa" and to the condition of the roads during those seasons. The rasputitsa occurs more strongly in the spring due to the melting snow but it usually recurs in the fall due to frequent heavy rains.

The rasputitsa seasons of Russia are well known as a great defensive advantage in wartime. Napoleon found the mud in Russia to be a very great hindrance in 1812.^[1][2] During the Second World War the month-long muddy period slowed down the German advance during the Battle of Moscow, and may have helped save the Soviet capital,^[3] as well as the presence of "General Winter", that followed the autumn rasputitsa period.

The corresponding term in Finnish is rospuutto, denoting "roadlessness". Most non-paved roads in Finland turn into mud. In olden days, this would make them virtually unusable; modern unpaved roads can be used but are dangerously slippery. In the Archipelago the period is known as kelirikko (literally "weather break"), implying the ice is too thin to bear the weight of people or vehicles, but is still too hard to be passed through by seagoing vessels not equipped with icebreaker bows. The only practicable vehicles during the kelirikko are hovercraft, hydrocopters or aircraft such as helicopters. Unlike in Russia where both the spring and fall seasons are affected, the Finnish rospuutto and kelirikko occur mainly in the spring when the snow melts and the spring rains begin.^{[citation needed]}

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  Eastern Front, Wehrmacht soldiers pushing car out of the mud, October 1941

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  Village street near Moscow, November 1941

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  Wehrmacht soldiers pulling car from the mud, November 1941

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  Wehrmacht horse carriage sunk in deep mud, March-April 1942

References

See also

Mud season