(Washington) Washington accused Vladimir Putin on Sunday of embarking on an “unacceptable” escalation by putting the Russian nuclear force on alert, at a time when its invasion of Ukraine is slowed down, in particular by logistical problems.
Posted at 1:16 p.m.
The Russian president, who has now committed two-thirds of his force amassed in the east, north and south of the country to Ukraine, continues to face “creative” resistance from Ukrainians, particularly in Kiev and Kharkiv, and does not has still not taken control of Ukraine’s airspace, a senior Pentagon official said.
“We observe that they are confronted with logistical problems”, in particular in terms of refueling, specified this American official who requested anonymity.
Mr. Putin announced on Sunday that he would put the Russian army’s “deterrent force” on alert, which may include a nuclear component, on the fourth day of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
He justified this decision by the “bellicose declarations of NATO” towards Russia and criticized the economic sanctions taken against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to him “illegitimate”.
The Russian announcement “means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war, in a way that is totally unacceptable,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The Russian measure “clearly brings forces into play which, if miscalculated, could make things much, much more dangerous,” the US Department of Defense official said.
He also described this alert as “useless”, Russia having “never been under a threat from the West”.
“This is a repeated pattern that we have seen from President Putin during this conflict, which is to fabricate threats that do not exist in order to justify continued aggression,” the door said. – White House spokesperson Jen Psaki.
Siege Risk
According to Pentagon estimates, the logistical problems of the Russian army are most marked around the large city of Kharkiv, in the east of the country, but also north of Kiev.
A few Russian reconnaissance soldiers entered the Russian capital, sometimes dressed in Ukrainian uniforms, but most were spotted by the Ukrainian population and military, the US official noted.
Russian forces “remain 30 km from the center of Kiev” and have moved closer to 50 km from Mariupol in the south, where fighting continues, according to Pentagon estimates. “Mariupol is defended, the Ukrainians put up resistance,” he noted.
Washington has also observed a new military tactic of Russian forces, which have surrounded the city of Chernihiv, northeast of Kiev, and appear to want to besiege it.
“It’s worrying,” said the Pentagon official. A siege “increases the risk of collateral damage to civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties because the siege effectively becomes an extreme effort to take a city without regard for civilian infrastructure.”
“The Ukrainians are putting up firm resistance. It’s heroic, it’s an inspiration to the world,” he added, but “the Russians still have a lot of operational advantages despite their logistical shortcomings.”
Furthermore, with a third of their invasion force still unused, “they still have a tremendous amount of combat capability”, he added. “We have to assume that they will learn from all of this, that they will adapt and that they will overcome these challenges”.