Rasputitsa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The rasputitsa (Russian: распу́тица) is the twice annual flooding of Belarus, western Russia and Ukraine. The word translates as "mud season" and during this period the large flat steppe becomes extremely muddy and marshy, and all non-paved roads become impassable. The term applies both to the season ("spring rasputitsa" and "autumn rasputitsa") and to the state of the roads.
The rasputitsa occurs most strongly in the spring due to the melting snow but it recurs in the fall due to the heavy rains. The rasputitsa can be viewed as an expansion of the Pripet Marshes through the whole of the region.
Russian winters are well known as a great defensive advantage in wartime, and the rasputitsa has played a crucial role in Russian history. Napoleon counted Russia's mud as a very important hindrance. During the Second World War the blitzkrieg of Germany was almost wholly halted by the mud that left even the most powerful tanks unusable.
The Finnish corresponding term is rospuutto, denoting "roadlessness". All non-paved roads become mud. In the Archipelago the period is known kelirikko (literally "weather break"), implying the ice is too soft to bear people or vehicles, but too hard to passed through by seagoing vessels not equipped with icebreaker bows. The only plausible vehicles during the kelirikko are hovercraft. Unlike in Russia, in Finland both rospuutto and kelirikko occur only in Spring when the snow melts and the vernal rains turn from snow into water.fr:Raspoutitsa fi:Kelirikko
