- Western security officials said Monday that Ukrainians are still resisting Russia's offensive so fiercely that President Vladimir Putin's forces may be "a few days behind" in their plans to subdue the former Soviet state.
- These comments come amid reports of a miles-long Russian military convoy that appears to be moving towards the capital, Kiev. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters he couldn't talk about the specifics of Russia's territorial situation, but noted that the Ukrainians were "effectively counterattacking in Kiev" and "making it difficult for the Russians to move south.
- "You have to give it to the Ukrainians who are fighting hard for their country and are having an impact and affecting Putin's capabilities," Kirby said, adding that Russia could be "a few days behind schedule." Similarly, Britain's Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update shared on social media on Monday that "logistical failures and heavy Ukrainian resistance continue to thwart the Russian advance."
- A senior US defense official told reporters that Russian forces had failed to achieve "air superiority over the entire country." The official said in the background that the column advancing towards Kiev appears to be Russia's main effort at the moment and that they appear to be moving into a position surrounding the city.
- “What we see now is that the Ukrainians are still putting up a very strong and effective set of defenses around their capital, as you would expect of them, and they are fighting hard for it. And we think the slow progress is definitely due to that. resistance. But that is also due to the logistical and sustainability problems that the Russians faced." "I can't say if it was because they didn't plan properly or if they had a complete plan and didn't implement it properly. But we suspect that the slow progress depends on these two factors: Russian logistics and support issues, and of course defense. provided by the Ukrainians.”
- Defense officials also said they saw no evidence of action after Putin put his country's nuclear forces on high alert on Sunday.
- Asked during a White House event if Americans had reason to worry about a nuclear war with Russia, President Joe Biden simply replied "No." Biden had a safe call with allies on Monday in which the leaders acknowledged the "courage of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression," according to a White House statement.
- Kirby made it clear, however, that the Russians "will learn from this" and said it cannot be assumed that they will "remain on the defensive, so to speak." “The next development is likely not a diplomatic [trick], but a conventional Russian military escalation,” Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a tweet, referring to the Russian surge and more destructive munitions.
- "Make no mistake: Putin still has a large fighting force at his disposal," Kirby told reporters, noting that about three-quarters of the more than 150,000 troops mobilized there had crossed the border. "Not all of it was moved to Ukraine, but most of it was. He still has a lot that didn't move to Ukraine. He puts his arms together and it's not easy."
- In fact, Ukraine's strong defense did not stop Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed on Twitter that Russia had committed "war crimes" including "brutal and indiscriminate shelling of civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, resulting in numerous civilian casualties."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said separately that Russia's missile launch in Kharkiv was "clearly a war crime," according to the Kyiv Independent newspaper. karim a. a. Khan, the ICC's chief prosecutor, later said the panel was opening an investigation into the situation, at least in part because there were "reasonable grounds to believe that alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed in Ukraine."
- Western security officials said Monday that Ukrainians are still resisting Russia's offensive so fiercely that President Vladimir Putin's forces may be "a few days behind" in their plans to subdue the former Soviet state.
- These comments come amid reports of a miles-long Russian military convoy that appears to be moving towards the capital, Kiev. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters he couldn't talk about the specifics of Russia's territorial situation, but noted that the Ukrainians were "effectively counterattacking in Kiev" and "making it difficult for the Russians to move south." ".
- "You have to give it to the Ukrainians who are fighting hard for their country and are having an impact and affecting Putin's capabilities," Kirby said, adding that Russia could be "a few days behind schedule." Similarly, Britain's Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update shared on social media on Monday that "logistical failures and heavy Ukrainian resistance continue to thwart the Russian advance."
- A senior US defense official told reporters that Russian forces had failed to achieve "air superiority over the entire country." The official said in the background that the column advancing towards Kiev appears to be Russia's main effort at the moment and that they appear to be moving into a position surrounding the city.
- “What we see now is that the Ukrainians are still putting up a very strong and effective set of defenses around their capital, as you would expect of them, and they are fighting hard for it. And we think the slow progress is definitely due to that. resistance. But that is also due to the logistical and sustainability problems that the Russians faced." "I can't say if it was because they didn't plan properly or if they had a complete plan and didn't implement it properly. But we suspect that the slow progress depends on these two factors: Russian logistics and support issues, and of course defense. provided by the Ukrainians.”
- Defense officials also said they saw no evidence of action after Putin put his country's nuclear forces on high alert on Sunday.
- Asked during a White House event if Americans had reason to worry about a nuclear war with Russia, President Joe Biden simply replied "No." Biden had a safe call with allies on Monday in which the leaders acknowledged the "courage of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression," according to a White House statement.
- Kirby made it clear, however, that the Russians "will learn from this" and said it cannot be assumed that they will "remain on the defensive, so to speak." “The next development is likely not a diplomatic [trick], but a conventional Russian military escalation,” Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a tweet, referring to the Russian surge and more destructive munitions.
- "Make no mistake: Putin still has a large fighting force at his disposal," Kirby told reporters, noting that about three-quarters of the more than 150,000 troops mobilized there had crossed the border. "Not all of it was moved to Ukraine, but most of it was. He still has a lot that didn't move to Ukraine. He puts his arms together and it's not easy."
- In fact, Ukraine's strong defense did not stop Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed on Twitter that Russia had committed "war crimes" including "brutal and indiscriminate shelling of civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv,
- resulting in numerous civilian casualties." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said separately that Russia's missile launch in Kharkiv was "clearly a war crime," according to the Kyiv Independent newspaper. karim a. a. Khan, the ICC's chief prosecutor, later said the panel was opening an investigation into the situation, at least in part because there were "reasonable grounds to believe that alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed in Ukraine." .
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