(Washington) Russia, which has just announced the expansion of its offensive against Ukraine, appears “increasingly frustrated” by the firm resistance of the Ukrainian army, according to the Pentagon which is preparing to provide additional armaments to the Ukrainian army.
Posted at 8:22 p.m.
“We estimate that more than 50% of the force that [le président russe Vladimir] Putin massed against Ukraine […] is engaged” in the country, a senior US Department of Defense official said on condition of anonymity.
He was speaking minutes before an announcement by the Russian Defense Ministry that “all units have been ordered to expand the offensive in all directions”.
At least 198 civilians, including three children, have been killed and 1,115 people injured since Thursday, according to Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his country’s resistance: “The occupiers wanted to block the center of our state and place their puppets there, like in Donetsk. We broke their plan,” he said on Saturday, assuring that the Russian army had “obtained no advantage”.
The Pentagon estimates that since Russia launched its military offensive at dawn on Thursday, its massed forces in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine – more than 150,000 troops equipped with heavy tanks, bombers, missiles – did not advance as fast as Moscow hoped.
“We also continue to see signs of a viable Ukrainian resistance,” the senior US official said. “We think the Russians are growing increasingly frustrated with their loss of momentum over the past 24 hours, especially in northern Ukraine.”
It is north of Kiev and around Kharkiv, in the east of the country, that resistance is strongest, according to Pentagon estimates.
As of Saturday, Russian forces had yet to take control of any Ukrainian city and still had not gained control of Ukrainian airspace, the official added.
“Ukraine’s air defense, including its aircraft, remains operational and continues to fight and deny access to Russian aircraft in certain areas of the country,” he stressed.
Russian forces remained stuck about 30 kilometers north of Kiev on Saturday, he noted, stressing however that the situation could change quickly.
military aid
Russian forces “are frustrated with […] a very determined Ukrainian resistance which slowed them down,” he insisted. “Based on our observations, this resistance is greater than the Russians anticipated.”
The West, including the United States, continues to provide assistance to Ukraine, including weapons and ammunition, he noted.
The head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken announced on Saturday new military aid to Ukraine in the amount of 350 million dollars, to help Kiev fight the Russian invasion.
“This assistance will include new defensive military assets that will enable Ukraine to combat the armour, airborne and other threats it faces today,” Blinken said in a statement.
These include anti-tank missiles, small arms, ammunition and bulletproof vests for Ukrainian fighters on the front line, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
According to the senior Pentagon official, military aid shipments to Ukraine did not cease with the start of the Russian offensive.
“I can confirm that they have received military aid from us in recent days,” he said, adding that the batch announced on Saturday would include Javelin anti-tank missiles, an advanced weapon used by the US military. .