Posted on 02/25/2022 10:11:47 AM PST by tlozo
Russia appears to have "lost a bit of momentum" as they continue their invasion of Ukraine, a senior US defense official told reporters on Friday.
The official said Russian forces are "not moving on Kyiv as fast as they anticipated they would be able to" and are "meeting more resistance than they expected," CNN reported.
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine early Thursday morning, entering the country from several directions, with many of its forces pushing towards the capital city of Kyiv. Russian forces, which have launched various strikes on Kyiv, have also been attacking other cities.
There have been different reports of casualty counts for both the defenders and the invaders, with the numbers varying greatly, but there are indications that the Russians are sustaining losses.
Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at CNA, tweeted Friday that "it looked as though Russian forces were expecting a quicker [Ukraine] military collapse and easier gains."
"So far we've seen only a fraction of the Russian force arrayed for the operation," he continued, adding that it is "unclear if Russian forces reached initial objectives, but best estimate is they expected more rapid gains [and] less resistance."
The UK's Defense Minister Ben Wallace appeared to be of the same view when he spoke with British media, saying that Russia is "behind its hoped for timetable."
"Our assessment, as of this morning, is that Russia has not taken any of its major objectives," Wallace told Sky News, adding that Putin intends "to invade the whole of Ukraine."
The senior US defense official who spoke to reporters Friday said as well that no major population centers have been taken, but the official added that the US believes Russia has committed only about a third of the forces it amassed at positions around Ukraine...
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
People defending their home fight extra hard, unless you’re French.
Reporting on Russian troops killed is a state secret, you could be arrested and shot don’t you know ,D’oh
1st thing to go to shit in war is the battle plan. No one shared the battle plan with the enemy to explain what was expected of them. 🤣
slower than who expected?
all this is narrative-building. i have no expectation of knowing what is real for some time.
No plan survives first contact with the enemy.
I don’t believe the 800 figure but fog of war and all that.
I was wrong about Ukraine though, I didn’t think they would resist this well, and I even thought it possible there was an underlying deal between the two countries given the talk and actions of from Ukraine.
After the last 20 years or so of seeing how corrupt every branch of our government is, I have this nauseous feeling that even a Pentagon spokesman, speaking about an issue that doesn’t have any political content or connection, cannot be trusted at all.
Putin is getting dirty looks from his cronies who supported him only three days ago before he made this catastrophic bizarre decision.. When the Russian called for negotiations in Minsk and their are asking Ukraine generals to cut a deal, its a good bet that Russian morale is low and things are not going well.
Slower than who expected.? Not me
The Drudge Report is comparing Putin to Hitler. A little bit of hyperbole?
Pure BS. Propaganda for Russian people. This is called information warfare.
Everyone has a plan until your punched in the mouth: Mike Tyson
The diapered one and his minions will be claiming sanctions worked if Ukraine holds off the Russians for any serious length of time.
The Guardian and other news sites.
Great live feed. Kiev has been quiet every time I checked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIPNVm6lNfM
They’ll have to go after western on-site reporters.
Putin is smarter than Hitler. And equally ruthless.
Who can blame you? There doesn't exist one piece of info from any source doesn't need an in depth fact check.
In fact, this very post needs a fact check.
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