Topline
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Friday the Russian military has made a “number of missteps” in its invasion of Ukraine, suggesting Russia’s inability to rapidly take over the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is partly due to poor use of intelligence and a lack of coordination.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holds a joint press conference with the Slovak Minister of … [+]
Key Facts
In an interview with CNN, Austin said Russia has moved at a slower-than-expected pace, backing up assessments from other U.S. and U.K. defense officials in recent weeks.
Austin cited Russia’s failure to coordinate its air force with invading ground troops, amid reports the Russian military hasn’t taken control of the sky over Ukraine, and he said he has not seen “evidence of good employment of tactical intelligence.”
Austin also said invading forces are suffering from logistical problems: The Pentagon has claimed for weeks Russian troops are running low on fuel and food, and the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Thursday that Russia has diverted some troops to defend supply lines from frequent Ukrainian attacks, taking them away from offensive operations.
Crucial Quote
“They have not progressed as quickly as they would have liked to,” Austin told CNN’s Don Lemon in Bulgaria. “I think they envisioned that they would move rapidly and very quickly [to] seize the capital city. They’ve not been able to do that.”
Key Background
When Russia initially invaded Ukraine, some observers predicted its forces could quickly defeat outgunned Ukrainian fighters and take Kyiv within days. But after more than three weeks, Russian advances appear to have stalled in much of the country. Russian ground troops “have not made significant advances” toward Kyiv in the last day amid resistance from Ukraine’s military, and units near the northeastern city of Kharkiv also haven’t moved forward, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters in an email Friday afternoon. Meanwhile in the south, Russia reportedly took over the cities of Kherson and Melitopol more than a week ago, but the defense official said Ukraine is still defending Mykolaiv and the besieged city of Mariupol.
What To Watch For
Despite the early setbacks, some experts fear Russia’s tactics could become more indiscriminate over time. Similarly, the U.K. Ministry of Defense has said in recent days Russia’s air force is relying on imprecise unguided munitions, and has frequently made up for its lack of control over the airspace by firing “stand-off” weapons from a distance. Russia has probably used more stand-off munitions than initially intended, the ministry said Wednesday, which could drive it to use older weapons more likely to result in civilian deaths.
Further Reading
‘Number of missteps’: Defense Secretary Austin on Russian military (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/03/18/us-defense-secretary-cites-russian-missteps-for-stalled-ukraine-invasion/