Russian forces continue to experience cohesion, morale and logistics problems, a senior US Department of Defense official told reporters, without confirming the sweeps in Russian military command that London mentioned.
“We will continue to be very cautious about our forecasts,” he added.
A senior official, who asked not to be named, said the United States is “absolutely determined to do everything to help Ukrainians defend themselves, including their education.”
“[Os ucranianos] they are very well behaved on the battlefield, they have no problems with cohesion, they have no problems with command, their logistics and supplies are really historical,” he said.
“But the Russians still have at their disposal a significant part of the opportunities that they have accumulated since autumn” on the borders of Ukraine, he stressed.
The entity also stated that “the ability to fight is not enough to win the war”, stating that “you must have the will to fight and a good path.”
But despite all this, “we continue to believe that this conflict will continue,” he said.
The Russian army, which is now concentrating its efforts in southern Ukraine to build a land bridge that will link Russian territory with the 2014-annexed Crimean peninsula, has taken control of the port of Mariupol after the capitulation of Ukrainian soldiers defending a steel plant from Azovstal.
The Kremlin is “absolutely convinced” of the “liberation” of Donbass and the demilitarization of neighboring territories in eastern Ukraine after the surrender of almost all supporters of Azovstal.
“Firstly, Donbass is waiting for the complete liberation of historical territories. I am absolutely convinced that the Russian army and the people’s militias of Donetsk and Luhansk will restore the historical borders,” said Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kiriyenko.
Sergei Kiriyenko stressed that Moscow is seeking to “demilitarize the neighboring territories so that they stop launching rockets and mortars on the territory of Donbass.”
“The future of Donbass will be decided by its inhabitants. I’m sure they’ll have that chance,” he said.
The war in Ukraine, now in its 85th day, has already forced more than 14 million people to flee their homes – about eight million internally displaced and more than 6.3 million – to neighboring countries, according to the latest UN figures. considers this refugee crisis to be the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Also, according to the UN, about 15 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security, was condemned by the international community as a whole, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia that affect virtually every industry, from banking to sports.
The UN confirmed today that 3,811 civilians have died and 4,278 have been injured, stressing that the real numbers could be much higher and will only be known when besieged cities or areas where heavy fighting has been hitherto have been accessed.
JML//RBF
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