Russian military forces are increasingly “frustrated” by the lack of “progress” in their attack on Ukraine and the heaviest fighting is centered around the city of Kharkov, in northeastern Ukraine, Pentagon sources reported on Saturday.
“We know that they have not made the progress they wanted, particularly in the northern part of Ukraine. What they have seen is a determined resistance, and that has slowed them down.” said a senior Defense Department official, citing US media such as the Washington Post and CNN.
As a consequence, he said, Russian forces are “increasingly frustrated.”
The most violent fighting, the Pentagon official added, is taking place around Kharkov, the second largest city in Ukraine, with almost 1.5 million inhabitants and located in the northeast of the country.
However, he stressed that the Russian military attack against Ukraine is advancing on three axes: from Belarus, in the north; from the Russian region of Belgorod, in the northeast; and from the Crimea, in the south.
Regarding the advance towards Kiev, the US official indicated that there are already Russian reconnaissance forces in the Ukrainian capital, but pointed out that the bulk of the military is approximately 30 kilometers from the city.
Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the approval of an additional $350 million in new military assistance to Ukraine to help Kiev deal with Russia’s invasion.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry ordered the Army on Saturday to launch an offensive in all directions after accusing Kiev of refusing to sit at the negotiating table with the Kremlin.
“After the Ukrainian side rejected the process of talks, today all units were given the order to launch an offensive in all directions in accordance with the plan of the operation”Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a news conference.
In Ukraine, President Volodímir Zelenski confirmed that the fighting continues in many parts of the country – such as Sumy (northeast), Kharkov or Chernígov (north) – and urged all Ukrainians to return to Ukraine and defend their country.
According to the latest official report by the Ukrainian Minister of Health, Viktor Liashkó, at least 198 Ukrainians have died and more than 1,000 have been wounded by the war that Russia launched last Thursday against the country.
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Source: Gestion
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