Russia pissed off by ‘viable’ Ukraine resistance, U.S. says

A person sits on his bike close to a set of ammunition, on the website of a preventing with Russian troops, after Russia launched an enormous army operation in opposition to Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Russian forces have gotten more and more pissed off by what the US believes is a viable and really decided Ukrainian resistance, as Moscow commits increasingly troops to its invasion, a senior U.S. protection official mentioned on Saturday.

The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity, additionally mentioned it appeared Russian commanders didn’t plan for sufficient gas and primary logistics assist, and have been now attempting to regulate.

The Russian army continued to pound Kyiv and different cities with artillery and cruise missiles on day three of a marketing campaign that has despatched a whole bunch of hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing west towards the European Union, clogging main highways and railway strains. learn extra

However a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned the capital Kyiv remained in Ukrainian fingers. Authorities there handed hundreds of assault rifles to residents and instructed residents to make petrol bombs as they ready to assist repel the invaders.

The U.S. protection official mentioned Washington noticed indications of “viable Ukrainian resistance.”

“We all know that they haven’t made the progress that they’ve needed to make, significantly within the north. They’ve been pissed off by what they’ve seen is a really decided resistance,” the official mentioned, declining to clarify the sources of U.S. intelligence behind that evaluation.

“It has slowed them down,” the official added.

The Kremlin, which calls its actions in Ukraine a “particular operation”, has mentioned it paused its offensive on Friday in anticipation of talks with Kyiv that by no means occurred. It mentioned its troops would begin advancing once more on Saturday. Ukraine’s authorities mentioned Russia by no means paused its assault.

The U.S. protection official estimated Moscow had now deployed into Ukraine greater than half of the over 150,000 troops it had arrayed across the nation previous to the invasion, up from a earlier estimate of 30% only a day earlier.

The USA believes Russian forces have been now 30 km (19 miles) north of Kyiv — however that would change at any time, the official mentioned.

“(They) haven’t gotten any nearer than that,” the official mentioned.

The U.S. official estimated that Russia had fired greater than 250 missiles, principally short-range, at Ukrainian targets, a few of which hit civilian infrastructure.

Russia has mentioned it doesn’t intend to occupy territory however to destroy its southern neighbor’s army capabilities and seize people it regards as harmful nationalists. Kyiv and its Western allies name that baseless propaganda.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned in opposition to international interference, and U.S. President Joe Biden has dominated out sending American troops to Ukraine to defend a pro-Western associate that isn’t a member of the NATO army alliance.

However the US and its allies have introduced rounds of extra army help, and on Friday Biden instructed U.S. State Division officers to launch to Ukraine as much as an extra $350 million price of weapons.

The U.S. protection official mentioned a beforehand unannounced U.S. arms cargo had arrived in Ukraine in current days, the primary, apparently, since Russia invaded.

“I can verify for you that they’ve acquired safety help from us simply inside the final couple of days,” the official mentioned, with out elaborating.

Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Enhancing by Daniel Wallis

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