US Defense Official Says Russia Facing More Resistance Than Expected In Ukraine

A view shows destroyed Russian Army multiple rocket launchers with the letter "Z" painted on their sides in Kharkiv, February 25. REUTERS/Maksim Levin 

Reuters: Russia facing more resistance than it expected in Ukraine- U.S. official 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia is facing more resistance than Moscow anticipated in its invasion of Ukraine, including in its advance on the capital, Kyiv, and appears to have lost some of its momentum, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday. 

Russian missiles pounded Kyiv on Friday, families cowered in shelters and authorities told residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to defend Ukraine's capital from an assault that the mayor said had already begun with saboteurs in the city. 

But the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested a mixed picture for the Russian effort to press an offensive that Washington and Kyiv say is aimed at decapitating the government and installing a puppet regime. 

"We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected," the senior defense official said, adding Ukraine's command and control of its military "remains intact".  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: What caught my eye in the above Reuters report was this .... 

.... Still, Russia has not yet mobilized the majority of its forces arrayed around Ukraine, the official said, assessing that just about one-third have now been "committed" to its offensive. 

Also this .... 

.... Russia had yet to establish control of the airspace above Ukraine or used the extent of its electronic warfare capabilities. 

I am also surprised that the Russian military has made the decision to not knock out the electrical and communications grid. I was able to contact some of my relatives in Ukraine. Or more to the point. They contacted me in the past two hours. They still have power, internet, and phone services (they are in Kharkiv, Odessa, and in a small city 75km south of Kiev).

I could be wrong, but it appears that the Russian military has been unleashed, but with a lot of limitations on the number of military forces to use, and what targets to destroy.

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