Ukrainians have taken Russia by surprise by dominating its air defense, a senior Pentagon official said Saturday.
Ukraine‘s air defense of its capital city of Kyiv remains viable as the fighting stretches into its third day despite Russia launching a total of 250 ballistic and cruise missiles as of Saturday, the official said.
“We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected,” the official said in a press briefing. “We also assessed that Russia has yet to achieve air superiority over Ukraine. Ukrainian air missile defense systems are still viable. They still have air missile defense capability, including aircraft, not just missile defense, but they also have aircraft in the air that continue to engage and deny air access to Russian aircraft.”
US TO PROVIDE $350 MILLION MORE TO UKRAINE
Russia has grown frustrated with its lack of progress, and the march to Kyiv “is going slower than the Russians had anticipated it going” despite the country’s military might, a senior defense official said on Friday.
While Kyiv has been under attack since Friday, the city has not fallen under Russian control. Residential areas in Kyiv have been hit by missiles, but it’s not clear whether the strikes on residential areas were intentional, an official added.
President Joe Biden authorized another $350 million in military aid Friday to help Ukraine’s front-line defenders. The military aid package included anti-armor, small arms and various munitions, body armor, and related equipment, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
“Our commitments and deliveries continue as a sign of our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Kirby said.
Over two dozen countries have additionally pledged to continue giving aid to the people in Ukraine, with the Netherlands vowing to supply 200 Stinger missiles, which are known to help bring down helicopters. Ukraine has launched an impressive effort to strike down Russian helicopters, with the country claiming it downed five of them on its own.
The Russian military began its offensive Thursday on three “lines of axes” — one south from Belarus toward Kyiv, one north from Crimea, and one from along the Russian and Ukraine border. However, the progress from these advances has slowed.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Although the United States will not send troops into Ukraine, Biden will aid in other ways, including dispatching reinforcements if Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offensive expands to NATO countries, the senior official said.
Ukraine has claimed it caused nearly 3,000 casualties among Russian troops in just the first day of fighting, in addition to causing substantive damage to Russian supplies.
