Russia Has Sent Over 50% Of Invasion Force Into Ukraine—But Frustrated By Stiff Resistance, U.S. Says

U.S.: Over 50% Of Russian Invasion Force Now In Ukraine—But Russia Is ‘Increasingly Frustrated’ By Resistance

More than half of the combat forces Russia assembled along Ukraine’s borders have now advanced into the country, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Saturday, as reports of fighting in Ukraine intensified. However, the official said Russian troops have faced “very determined resistance” from Ukraine, leading Russia to become “increasingly frustrated” by its lack of momentum.

The official did not specify how the United States knows Russia is frustrated, but asserted that invading troops appear to have made less progress than they’d likely anticipated.

The Russian military hasn’t seized control of any Ukrainian cities and hasn’t established air superiority, with Ukrainian air defenses still operable, according to the senior defense official.

Fighting appears to be most intense near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the United States believes, but Russia is also encountering “stiff resistance” as it advances toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The defense official estimated Russian forces are about 20 miles north of Kyiv, though “reconnaissance” units have been spotted in and near the city. Gunfire and explosions were audible overnight in Kyiv, Forbes Ukraine reported, and Ukraine’s military claimed to destroy a column of Russian vehicles in western Kyiv early Saturday morning.

The United States has counted over 250 Russian missile launches since the start of the invasion, most of which were short-range ballistic missiles. Despite Russia’s claims that it is only attacking military targets, some missiles have struck residential and civilian areas, though it’s not clear whether they were deliberately targeted, according to the U.S. defense official. A missile slammed into a residential high-rise in Kyiv on Saturday morning, causing significant damage, Ukrainian officials say.

Russian Forces Said To Hand Out Gas Masks In Donetsk

Gas masks are being distributed to Russian troops and local militants in the breakaway region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine wrote in a Telegram post Saturday. The agency said it feared that Russian forces could blow up chemical tanks in the region and accuse the Ukrainian military of sabotage targeting civilians.

The Donbas region of eastern Ukraine is home to about 900 large industrial plants, according to a World Bank assessment from 2015. The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe warned in 2017 of an environmental and health disaster if Russian shelling hit industrial sites storing hazardous chemicals. 

Conflict broke out in the region in 2014, and dozens of mines have been damaged, leading to water, soil and land contamination, according to the World Bank report. Power plants, chemical production sites, water supply infrastructure and sewage systems have also been targeted and attacked, Bellingcat reports.

Ukrainian Government Calls For Removal Of Road Signs

The Ukrainian state road agency urged local governments to take down road signs around the country to confuse Russian forces. “Priority No. 1 — signs, names of settlements. The enemy has a pathetic connection, they do not focus on the terrain. Let’s help them get straight to hell, “the agency said in a statement, according to Forbes Ukraine.

More European Countries Back Cutting Russia Off From SWIFT

More European countries are showing support for cutting Russia off from the SWIFT international payments system this morning, including Hungary, Italy and Cyprus, Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. Reuters reports that this could happen within days.

The Belgium-based payments system, which stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is relied on by thousands of banks worldwide and makes international payments much easier. Being cut off from the system carries serious consequences for Russia’s economy and financial activity. But it would also hit countries that purchase key resources from the country.

Major U.S. banks, including JPMorgan and Citigroup, have counselled U.S. lawmakers and the Biden administration to not take that step, according to Bloomberg, warning that it could encourage the development of an alternative to the SWIFT system, reducing the central role of the dollar in the world economy, and that forcing Russian financial institutions to use other means of communication to carry out transactions would make it harder for Western countries to track what they’re up to.

Read more about SWIFT and what it means here.

Kyiv Mayor Klitschko Extends City’s Curfew After Fierce Battles Overnight

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Saturday extended the city’s curfew to between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. after Ukrainian security forces repelled a series of attacks in and around Ukraine’s capital overnight.

In a series of tweets, Klitschko urged residents not to go outside during those hours and said the curfew will last until Monday morning. Anyone spotted on the streets during those hours will be considered “members of sabotage and reconnaissance groups,” Klitschko wrote.

The move came after a night of fierce fighting that extended into Kyiv’s streets, with gunfire and blasts heard in the heart of the city at Maidan Square. The Ukrainian military said it destroyed a column of Russian vehicles in a western Kyiv neighborhood Saturday morning.

A large apartment building in western Kyiv was heavily damaged by a missile strike early Saturday. The extent of injuries was unclear, Forbes Ukraine reported.

Klitschko also asked residents to be on the lookout for saboteurs placing marks around the city for points to attack, such as gas pipes, according to Forbes Ukraine.

In fighting with Russian forces closing in on the city, the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Il-76 airlift plane about 50 miles south of Kyiv, near Bila Tserkva, the Associated Press reported, citing two unnamed U.S. officials.