The Pentagon has seen “anecdotal indications” that the morale of Russian troops is disintegrating after three weeks without substantial gains in Ukraine, according to a senior official.
The official, who spoke on Thursday afternoon, said the Pentagon has seen intelligence to believe that “Russian morale is flagging,” though he warned that the Department of Defense doesn’t “have insight into every unit in every location.”
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.
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Through the first three weeks of the conflict, Russia’s remained on the outskirts of most major cities and has expended more weaponry than it anticipated while facing a more significant resistance from Ukrainian forces than it expected. There have been reports from the Pentagon that some Russian troops have willingly surrendered, while some others have sabotaged their vehicles.
Russian forces have launched more than 1,000 missiles in the three weeks since the invasion, according to the Pentagon’s tally. The United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russia is likely expending more missiles than they anticipated, and as a result, have been forced to resort to using “older, less precise weapons,” putting civilian lives at risk.
The Pentagon has previously said that Russian forces have also faced setbacks of their own making, including food and fuel shortages, and they still remain an issue.
“It’s quite extraordinary, three weeks in, that they are still having these same logistical and sustainment issues and that they’re considering additional ways to overcome those shortages from outside Ukraine,” the defense official added.
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Recently, the number of attacks that have harmed or killed civilians has appeared to increase. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, told reporters on Thursday that the attacks “we’ve seen most recently appear to be focused directly on civilians,” though he stopped short of accusing Russian forces of war crimes.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on Tuesday that there have been 726 civilians killed, while another 1,174 have been wounded. Roughly 50 children were among those who have been killed. The U.N. International Organization for Migration said the number of refugees eclipsed the 3 million mark on Tuesday.
