The Russian army is also suffering increasing losses. The United States estimates that 10 percent of the invasion force was lost. This concerns dead, wounded and destroyed military equipment. More than 7,000 soldiers have been killed in heavy fighting with the Ukrainian army, according to conservative estimates.
Although the Pentagon warns that President Vladimir Putin can still decide the battle with the remaining part of his combat power, the US and British analysis shows once again how the Russians have settled on the invasion. Their problems are likely to be exacerbated after President Joe Biden’s decision on Wednesday to sharply increase US arms supplies to the Ukrainian military.
impotence
To make matters worse, according to the West, the Russians are now also faced with a shortage of high-tech weapons. According to the US, the Russian military has so far fired 980 missiles, including precious Kalibr cruise missiles. That’s a huge number. In comparison, during the First Gulf War, the Americans themselves used about 290 cruise missiles. The Russians are now running out of smart weapons. “It is likely that Russia will resort to using older, less accurate weapons, which are less militarily effective and more likely to cause civilian casualties,” the Defense Ministry said.
According to London, information from British intelligence services shows that the Russians have made “minimal progress” in their offensive against the various cities in recent days. “They continue to take heavy losses,” the Defense Ministry said. “The Ukrainian resistance is standing and well coordinated.”
According to the West, the inability to advance towards the capital Kyiv, the main target, is indicative of the Russian problems, as the war enters its fourth week. According to a Pentagon official, the Russians, approaching the city from the northwest and east, have made no “significant progress” in their advance in recent days.
They are still about 20 kilometers from the center. Despite heavy shelling and attacks, the Ukrainian army is holding out in the nearby town of Brovary, as well as in the northern city of Chernihiv. In the south, the Russians have isolated Mariupol, but they have still not been able to turn the battle in their favor here, despite a long siege.
Delay
In Mykolaiv, near the large port city of Odessa, the Russian army is about 10 kilometers from the center, according to the Pentagon, but here too the advance has stalled in recent days. The Russians have not yet arrived at a major attack on Odessa, the country’s third city and an important strategic target.
“They suffer losses every day: loss of soldiers, loss of equipment, loss of aircraft,” the Pentagon official told US media on Wednesday. “I think we are all impressed with how the Ukrainians have fought back and slowed down Russia’s progress. But let’s not forget that the Russians in Ukraine still have an incredible amount of combat capacity at their disposal, and they use it every day.’