Russian forces are now about three miles closer to Kyiv after making advances on the ground in the past 24 hours, a senior US defence official has said.
After days of being stalled, Russia’s military could be as close as nine miles (15km) from the city centre.
According to the defence official, here is what has changed in the past 24 hours:
• Russian forces have advanced on the northwest route into Kyiv – near Hostamel Airport
• East of the capital, they are also advancing along two parallel lines
• Some troops may have turned back to Sumy, but it is not clear why
Read Also: ‘Putin Chose This War, And Now He And His Country Will Bear The Consequences’ – Biden Announces New Sanctions On Russia For Invading Ukraine
• Chernihiv is now isolated, but the Russian military has not moved past this city – with heavy fighting still reported, and Ukrainians fighting back
Meanwhile, the unidentified official said that Ukraine still has the vast majority of its fixed wing fighter aircraft available but they are not flying these very much on a daily basis.
Instead they are using their own surface to air systems, man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADs), and anti-armour systems.
The official also said that Mariupol is encircled but not yet in the hands of the Russians, who are inching closer.
Read Also: “Russia Will Not Forget Britain’s Desire To Co-operate With Ukraine…London Has Made A Final Choice Of Open Confrontation With Russia” – Putin Threatens Britain
Russia is increasingly using long-range fires, bombardment from aircraft and mobile launchers on the ground, with the US assessing that the reliance on long-range fires is a result of their lack of achievement on the ground.
In other developments, the satellite image company Maxar says new images show that a large Russian convoy that was headed for Kyiv and near Antonov Airport has largely dispersed and redeployed.
Read Also: Ukrainians Kill Putin’s Top Commander, Colonel Andrei Zakharov, In Ambush That Destroys Russian Tanks
Photographs suggest armoured units are now manoeuvring in and through surrounding towns close to this airport.
Separately, there have been reports of internet outages around the city of Kherson – and the US estimates that Russia has fired more than 775 missiles since the beginning of the invasion.
Photo Credit: Getty
