Russian forces remain “largely stalled” across northern Ukraine one week after mounting their invasion, a senior Defense Department official said Thursday, but they “continue to make progress” in the south.
Russian troops are “basically now on the outskirts” of Kharkiv — Ukraine’s second-largest city, located in the northeast, the official added.
U.S. officials assess that Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed “90 percent of his pre-staged combat power across the border into Ukraine,” and Russian forces “have available to them — in and outside of Ukraine — the vast, vast majority of their total combat power,” said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
“They still have an awful lot of capability left to them,” the official said. “So just because they’re throwing in now 90 percent, we shouldn’t take away from that that this is some sort of overreaction or that they are diminished to the point where they feel like they’ve got to commit reserves. These are not reserves. This is the combat power that they had assembled to execute this plan.”
However, the official highlighted Russia’s difficulties amid the assault, saying the United States has observed cases of “Russian misapplication of their resources” and seen “not the level of integration of air and ground elements that was expected.”
For example, the official said Russian forces still “remain north to northwest” of the capital of Kyiv and estimated that “it’s probably been two to three days” since they made significant gains on the city.
The United States assesses that Russian forces are “trying every single day” to seize Kyiv, the official said, “but they have been flummoxed, and they have been frustrated. And we believe that, to some degree, they are regrouping on their own.”
The United States also believes that the roughly 40-mile-long convoy of Russian tanks, military vehicles and other equipment outside Kyiv “is stalled,” the official said — adding that U.S. officials “have no reason to doubt Ukrainian claims” that Ukrainian forces “have contributed to it being stalled by attacking it.”
In addition to “Ukrainian resistance,” the convoy is being held up because of possible problems related to weather, Russia’s “own logistics and sustainment challenges,” and apparent “reassessment” by Russian forces.
The U.S. update on the conflict came amid reports that Russia had overtaken Kherson, a port in southern Ukraine that would be the first city captured by Russian forces since the start of the invasion.
But the official said the U.S. “cannot independently confirm reports” that Russian forces had seized Kherson.
“Our best information … is that there’s still fighting there," the official said. "So we’re not ready to call it one way or another. … We are not ready to assess that the city has fallen.”
Mariupol, another port in southeastern Ukraine, “is still under Ukrainian control,” the official said, although Russian troops are advancing with the apparent intent “to isolate the city.” There has been no appreciable amphibious activity by Russian forces near the southern port of Odesa.
The United States assesses that “one possible … outcome here for the Russians would be to move past Kherson” to the southern port of Mykolaiv, the official said, “so they can position themselves to the northeast of Odesa,” a strategically important location and Ukraine’s third-largest city.
As world leaders warn of Russian forces targeting Ukrainian civilians and potential crimes against humanity, the U.S. is “observing heavy bombardment in the cities” of northern and eastern Ukraine, the official said. Ukrainian airspace remains “contested,” and Russia has conducted roughly 480 missile launches as of Thursday morning, with the majority “coming from inside Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “still has command and control” of Ukrainian forces from Kyiv, the official said — a factor contributing to Ukraine’s “stiff resistance” against Russia’s invasion.
“Obviously, we remain concerned about his safety. Of course we do,” the official said of Zelenskyy. But it is “incredibly noteworthy that he has stayed there in Kyiv. We commend his bravery.”
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By: Quint Forgey
Title: ‘They still have an awful lot of capability’: Russia, stalled in northern Ukraine, slogs on with assault
Sourced From: www.politico.com/news/2022/03/03/they-still-have-an-awful-lot-of-capability-russia-stalled-in-northern-ukraine-slogs-on-with-assault-00013793
Published Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2022 12:38:35 EST
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