Russian forces have not made appreciable progress recently as their invasion enters its fourth week.
A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Friday that they had “largely stalled across the country,” specifically adding that the Pentagon has not seen Russian forces “make significant advances” on Kyiv from the north and northwest or from the east, where they remain 18 miles away.
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The cities of Mariupol, which has faced repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, and Chernihiv have been isolated by Russian forces while they remain on the outside of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.
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Russian forces have launched more than 1,080 missiles since the start of their invasion. The airspace above Ukraine remains contested as well.
The official told reporters Thursday that the Pentagon was seeing “anecdotal indications” that Russian forces’ “morale is flagging.”
Some of the decreased confidence of the forces is “a function of poor leadership,” as well as a “lack of information that the troops are getting about their mission and objectives,” the official added. “I think disillusionment from being resisted as fiercely as they have been” has also contributed to the situation.
There have been reports from the Pentagon that some Russian troops have willingly surrendered while some others have sabotaged their vehicles.
The most recent week of the invasion has been marked with a seemingly increased number of attacks on civilians or civilian infrastructure. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who told reporters Thursday that the attacks “we’ve seen most recently appear to be focused directly on civilians,” stopped short of accusing Russian forces of war crimes.
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Additionally, President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a war criminal” on Wednesday, and the Kremlin called the characterization “unacceptable and unforgivable.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on Friday that there have been 816 civilians killed, while another 1,333 have been wounded. Roughly 60 children were among those who have been killed.
