Ukrainian volunteers weave camouflage nets while helping to set up a defensive position for Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv February 26.
Pictures of Sopa | Lightrocket | beautiful pictures
Persistent Ukrainian resistance and logistical difficulties are hindering Russian attacks more than Moscow planners expected, and there is no sign of it, according to US and British officials. indicates that the invasion force has captured any major Ukrainian city, according to US and British officials.
“Russian forces are not making the progress they planned. They are facing logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance,” the British Ministry of Defense said. said on its verified Twitter account.
Volunteers from the Territorial Defense Units make Molotov cocktails for use against invading Russian troops in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, February 26, 2022.
Marcus Yam | Los Angeles Times | beautiful pictures
The Ukrainian army, with the support of volunteers, successfully repelled the attack of Russian units on Kyiv at dawn on Saturday local time. Fighting has been reported in and around several Ukrainian cities.
“This is very dynamic and will change hour by hour.”
US Defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity
‘Motivation continues to slow down’
The same US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity Saturday in Washington, said the Pentagon has so far given no indication that the Russian military has taken control of any of its cities. Ukraine.
The situation in Ukraine is complex, and personal military accounts are difficult or impossible to verify.
The official said that about half of the Russian forces that Moscow had amassed along the border before the invasion are now inside Ukraine. This is up from an estimate of a third provided by the same official on Friday.
Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by Ukrainian troops on the side of a road in the Lugansk region on February 26, 2022.
Anatolii Stepanov | AFP | beautiful pictures
Russia is believed to have accumulated 190,000 troops in the vicinity of Ukraine. The US defense official declined to elaborate on the position of Russia’s remaining forces, but said “Russian momentum continues to be slowed mainly due to stiff resistance by Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s military has about 145,000-150,000 troops, according to a January Report from the US Congress Research Service.
US officials say the heaviest fighting in Ukraine is currently taking place around the northeastern city of Kharkiv, adding that the Russians are also facing stiff resistance against the advance. of the north towards Kyiv.
“This is very dynamic and will change hour to hour,” the official warned, adding that the estimate is a “snapshot in time”.
Weapons Entering Ukraine
A US Defense Department official who spoke to CNBC on Saturday said the next round of US assistance to Ukraine, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced earlier on Saturday, would include Javelin missiles.
Javelin, manufactured by defense giants Lockheed Martin and Raytheonis a portable shoulder-fired missile designed to blow up tanks.
A wreckage of a destroyed Russian tank is seen by the road on the outskirts of Kharkiv on February 26, 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sergey Bobok | AFP | beautiful pictures
Separately, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz surprised observers when he said his country would provide Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 fuze missiles, marking a dramatic reversal in arms export policy. of Germany.
Like the Javelins, the Stinger can be carried by a single person. They are designed to shoot down helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
