Thread: Russia launches Ukraine invasion

^^^ just more proof as if it were needed that he's lost the plot. I wonder what his senior military officers are thinking, forget the security council sycophants.

Putin puts Russia's strategic nuclear force on 'special alert'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to put its nuclear forces on "special alert" - the highest level of alert for Russia's Strategic Missile Forces.

Speaking to top military officials, including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, he said Western nations had taken "unfriendly actions" towards Russia and imposed "illegitimate sanctions".

We'll bring you an assessment of this move shortly. From the Beeb

UK warns of Russia-NATO conflict

Foreign Secretary says West should be ‘prepared for a very long haul’ in Ukraine and a potential clash between Moscow and the military bloc

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned that the crisis in Ukraine could spill over into a direct conflict between Russia and NATO nations if Western powers “don't stand up to Putin now.”


“If we don't stop Putin in Ukraine we are going to see others under threat – the Baltics, Poland, Moldova, and it could end up in a conflict with NATO,” Truss told Sky News on Sunday.


“We do not want to go there,” she said.


The British FM’s comments come as Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine enters its fourth day. Moscow has insisted that it is targeting only military infrastructure in an effort to “demilitarize” the country and defend the people of the newly-recognized Donbass republics against aggression from Kiev. Ukraine says the attack was unprovoked.


Pointing to Russia’s “strong forces,” and Ukainians’ determination to “stand up for their sovereignty,” Truss also predicted the current crisis could last a “number of years.”


“We need to be prepared for a very long haul,” Truss said.


A number of European nations announced on Sunday that they were willing to supply Ukraine with more weapons and ammunition, following calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for more direct assistance. On Saturday, Germany backtracked on a previous refusal to send weapons to Ukraine, saying it would now supply Kiev with anti-tank missiles and ‘Stinger’ air defense systems “as soon as possible.”


Moscow launched its military offensive in Ukraine on February 24, prompting the West to impose a raft of new sanctions on Russia, ranging from airspace closures to the suspension of visas, and personal sanctions aimed at President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.


The US, UK, and EU are also preparing to cut “selected Russian banks” off from the international SWIFT payments system.


On Saturday, the Kremlin said Kiev had rejected an offer for negotiations and resumed its military operation after a brief pause. Both sides, however, have indicated a willingness to negotiate, with Russia sending a delegation to Belarus for talks. Kiev, however, refused to send negotiators, saying that Russia has been using Belarusian territory to stage attacks on Ukraine.

UK warns of Russia-NATO conflict — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union

Windows taped in Kyiv as city braces for attack

As we just reported, the mayor of Kyiv says there are no Russian troops in the capital - and that "saboteurs" have been "detected and neutralised".

But the city is a long way from normal. There is a curfew until Monday, and residents have taped their windows in case gunfire or explosions break the glass.

This picture is from Oleksander Dzenhilevsky in Obolon in the north of Kyiv.

Street Fighting Rages in Ukraine as Talks Mooted

Street fighting raged in Ukraine's second-biggest city on Sunday after Russian forces pierced through Ukrainian lines, as both sides said they were ready for talks to halt a conflict that has forced an estimated 260,000 people to flee their homes.


Machine gun fire and explosions could be heard in Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine and an AFP journalist saw the wreckage of a Russian armoured vehicle smouldering and several others abandoned.


On the fourth day of an invasion by Russia that has sent shockwaves around the world, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy turned down Moscow's offer of a meeting in Belarus, which has allowed Russian troops passage to attack Ukraine.


Zelenskiy said Ukraine had proposed Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul and Baku as possible alternative locations for any talks.

"Any other city in a country from whose territory missiles do not fly would suit us," Zelenskiy said.


"The past night in Ukraine was brutal," he said. "They fight against everyone. They fight against all living things — against kindergartens, against residential buildings and even against ambulances."


Ukraine has reported 198 civilian deaths, including three children, since the invasion began.


President Vladimir Putin has defied crippling Western sanctions on Russia's economy and international pariah status for his country to press ahead with the air, ground and sea assault.


Apart from the attack on Kharkiv, located near the Russian border, Moscow also claimed it was "entirely" besieging the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and the city of Berdyansk in the southeast.


Ukrainian officials also said that a gas pipeline in eastern Kharkiv and an oil depot near the capital Kyiv were targeted overnight.


The claims could not be independently verified.


Many Kyiv residents spent another night in shelters, but the morning was relatively calm and a strict blanket curfew is in place until Monday.

Russia on Saturday ordered its forces to advance further into Ukraine "from all directions" but soldiers have encountered fierce resistance from Ukrainian troops, the intensity of which has likely surprised Moscow, according to Western sources.


Ukraine's army said it held the line against an assault on Kyiv, but was fighting Russian "sabotage groups" that had infiltrated the city.

"We will fight until we have liberated our country," a defiant Zelenskiy said in a video message on Saturday.


He also said Ukraine had "derailed" Moscow's plan to overthrow him and urged Russians to pressure Putin into stopping the conflict.


On Sunday, Ukraine's general staff said the 44-year-old leader was urging any foreigners to come to Ukraine "and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against Russian war criminals."


"There is no greater contribution which you can make for the sake of peace," the general staff said in a Facebook post, adding that the foreign fighters would form part of an "International Legion for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine."


'I was trembling'
Ignoring warnings from the West, Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion that the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) says has left at least 240 civilians wounded, including 64 killed.


The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says more than 100,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, while over 160,000 are estimated to be displaced within Ukraine.


In neighbouring Romania, Olga, 36, was among hundreds to have crossed the Danube river with her three young children to safety.


"My husband came with us as far as the border, before returning to Kyiv to fight," she said.


Thousands also made their way to Poland by train, on foot and in cars.


"Attacks were everywhere," said Diana, 37, who fled the Ukrainian capital.


"My mother is still in Kyiv."


Residents of the capital have sought sanctuary in subway stations and cellars and Zelenskiy announced a baby girl had been born on the metro.


Yulia Snitko, a pregnant 32-year-old, said she had sheltered in the basement of her Kyiv apartment block, fearing premature labour.

"It was more than one hour of huge explosions. I was trembling," she said.


Thousands around the world demonstrated their solidarity with Ukraine on Saturday.


Zelenskiy said he asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to strip Russia of its vote at the UN Security Council as punishment for the invasion.


The UN Security Council will convene later on Sunday to vote on a resolution calling for a special session of the General Assembly over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, diplomats have said.


The Ukrainian president has also thanked NATO members for sending weapons and equipment, while Washington announced $350 million of new military assistance.


Berlin said it would send Kyiv 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles, in a major U-turn from its longstanding policy of not exporting weapons to war zones.


Paris said it would deliver more arms to Ukraine.


NATO also said it will deploy its 40,000-strong rapid response force to Eastern Europe for the first time, but stressed it will not send forces to Ukraine.


Crippling bank sanctions
Responding to the invasion, the West said it would remove some Russian banks from the SWIFT bank messaging system, and froze central bank assets — essentially crippling some of Russia's global trade.


Speaking in Washington Saturday, a senior US official said the measures would turn Russia into a "pariah," adding that a task force will "hunt down" Russian oligarchs' "yachts, jets, fancy cars and luxury homes."

Germany had previously resisted the SWIFT removals over concerns Russia could cut off key gas supplies.


The Kremlin has so far brushed off sanctions, including those targeting Putin personally, as a sign of Western impotence.


Putin has said Russia's actions are justified because it is defending Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.


The rebels have been fighting Ukrainian government forces for eight years in a conflict that has killed more than 14,000 people.


Putin called the current conflict a "special military operation" and Russia's communications regulator on Saturday told independent media to remove reports describing it as an "assault, invasion, or declaration of war."

Street Fighting Rages in Ukraine as Talks Mooted - The Moscow Times

Russian Navy seize two boats as war goes to the seas - horror over ‘counter-terror-op’

In a statement, the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service said the capture was part of a “counter-terrorist operation”. It comes as Russia seeks ceasefire talks with Ukraine in Belarus, which Kyiv is open to but wants to be held elsewhere.

The State Border Guard Service said in a statement: “Yesterday, announcing a ‘counter-terrorist operation’ in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, ships of the Russian Navy captured two more civilian Ukrainian ships.”


According to the service, the tanker "Athena", which was in the territorial sea of ​​Romania, 22 miles from Snake Island, received an open channel of communication and security of navigation command to approach the Russian warship for inspection.


The ship-owner of the tanker "Athena" immediately informed all authorities in Ukraine.




At the same time, maritime border guards recorded the fact of a sharp and illogical change of course by another ship under the Ukrainian flag.

The Princess Nicole dry cargo ship from Romanian waters was also headed for Snake Island.

The service then added: "Almost as soon as both civilian ships approached Russian warships, the AIS was turned off and they stopped communicating.


“And this morning the automatic identification systems of ships showed their stay 18 miles from the occupied Crimea.”


The statement added Russian warships “once again defiantly violated the rules of international maritime law, under the guise of a self-proclaimed counter-terrorist operation, pirated two Ukrainian-flagged ships with almost 50 civilian crew members”.


The day before, the same ships in the Russian Navy reportedly captured the Sapphire, which went to Snake Island with a humanitarian mission.

In a bid to protect Ukraine from further naval attacks by Russia, President Volodomyr Zelensky has asked Turkey to close its entryways to the Black Sea.


On Saturday, a phone call between Mr Zelensky and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saw the Ukrainian President thank his counterpart for his support amid the ongoing war with Russia.


In a post on Twitter, Mr Zelensky said: “I thank my friend Mr. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the people of Turkey for their strong support.


“The ban on the passage of Russia's warships to the Black Sea and significant military and humanitarian support for Ukraine are extremely important today.”


Turkish officials told local media that no decision had been made to do so.

Since Vladimir Putin announced the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, Kyiv has claimed 4,300 Russians have died, plus 210 Ukrainian civilians


Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, has said there are no Russian troops in the capital city, as it continues to defend itself from attacks.


He said “military, law enforcement and territorial defence” officials were continuing to “detect and neutralise saboteurs”.


Oleh Synyehubov, regional governor of Kharkiv, said Ukrainian forces have regained control of the city.


In a post on Telegram, he said: "Control over Kharkiv is completely ours!


"The armed forces, the police, and the defence forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy."

On Thursday, 13 Ukrainian border guards died after refusing to surrender Snake Island from a Russian air and sea bombardment.

Russian Navy seize two boats as war goes to the seas - horror over ‘counter-terror-op’ | World | News | Express.co.uk

Originally Posted by malmomike77

From the Beeb, the latest claimed Russian loses



BREAKING
Ukraine claims 4,300 Russian deaths so far

Ukraine's deputy defence minister has released an estimate of the losses she says the country's forces have inflicted on Russia so far.

Kyiv's Hanna Malyar said in a Facebook post that the numbers for the first three days of the conflict were preliminary and liable to change.

The BBC is unable to verify these claims - and Russia has not released casualty numbers.

Ukraine estimates Russian military losses so far to include:

4,300 deaths
27 planes
26 helicopters
146 tanks
706 armoured fighting vehicles
49 cannons
1 Buk air defence system
4 Grad multiple rocket launch systems
30 vehicles
60 tankers
2 drones
2 boats

If this is to be believed, I'd say that the russian army has lost or will retreat soonish.

But the "information war" is on.

I know exactly as much as anyone of you.

Just about nothing

Ukraine agrees to talks with Russian delegation at Belarus border without preconditions | The Times of Israel
Talks nr Chernobyl moot

Originally Posted by helge

I know exactly as much as anyone of you.

Just about nothing

Of course, we are all getting this from media feeds. Its why i used the word "Claimed"

Originally Posted by malmomike77

"Claimed"

Noticed

^^ Well that is certainly good news. Lets hope something comes of it.

Retired Lt. Gen. predicts Russia will end up losing in Ukraine: ‘Putin’s got a real problem right now’

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Keith Kellogg, a former Trump administration official, has predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is headed toward defeat.


Speaking on Fox News’ “Fox News Live” this Saturday, he pointed out that, objectively speaking, the Ukrainians have displayed far more zeal, passion and heart — three must-haves for winning any war — than their Russian counterparts.

“There’s an old axiom: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight — it’s the size of the fight in the dog that counts. And you’re seeing that with the Ukrainian fighting and the leadership of [Ukrainian President] Zelensky,” Kellogg explained.


Stunningly, he then added, “I think Putin is losing. I think Russia is losing. He’s thrown his first-line units against Ukrainians, and they’re beating him. The heart that they’re showing him is incredible.”


The Ukrainians haven’t stopped Putin’s stunning, unexpected invasion, but they have put a dent in his reported plan to topple the nation’s government within a few days.

MORE https://www.bizpacreview.com/2022/02...t-now-1206231/

Fuel and logistics problems frustrate Russian advance - analysis

Though Russia’s President Vladimir Putin likely envisioned a quick capture of the capital of Ukraine and quick capitulation of its President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian forces are instead unable to reach Kyiv. Not due only to fierce fighting, but a lack of fuel.


Russia invaded Ukraine early on Thursday morning, and on day four of the war has yet to fully capture any large cities and its main goal: Kyiv.


Though a small detail, the lack of fuel has left Russia in an embarrassing situation, and its vehicles and troops easy pickings for Ukrainian soldiers who have set fire to dozens if not hundreds of vehicles and captured Russian forces.

MORE Attention Required! | Cloudflare

Putin orders "special service regime" in Russia’s deterrence force

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. In response to aggressive statements in the West Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued orders to introduce what he described as a "special service regime" in the Russian army’s deterrence force.


"Top officials in NATO’s leading countries have been making aggressive statements against our country. For this reason, I give orders to the defense minister and chief of the General Staff to introduce a special combat service regime in the Russian army’s deference forces," Putin said at a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in the Kremlin on Sunday.


Putin stressed that the Western countries were also taking unfriendly actions against Russia in the economic sphere.


"I am referring to the illegitimate sanctions, which are very well-known to everybody," he added.


The meeting took place against a backdrop of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, which Moscow began in response to a request for assistance from the leaders of the Donbass republics.

https://tass.com/defense/1412575

Kyiv Mayor Says 31 Dead In Capital From Russian Attacks, As Two Sides Agree To Hold Talks

Street fighting broke out in Ukraine’s second-largest city and Russian troops are squeezing strategic ports in the country's south following a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities elsewhere in the country.


The capital, Kyiv, was eerily quiet after huge explosions lit up the morning sky and authorities reported blasts at one of the airports. Only an occasional car appeared on a deserted main boulevard as a strict curfew kept people off the streets.


President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on February 27 that the night had been brutal, with shelling of civilian infrastructure and attacks on many targets.

The situation in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, was dramatically different. Russian forces have entered the city, and the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, Oleh Sinehubov, said that Ukrainian forces were fighting them. He asked civilians not to leave their homes.

"Control over Kharkiv is completely ours! The armed forces, the police, and the defense forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy," Sinehubov wrote on Telegram.


Videos posted online by Ukrainian officials showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and a light vehicle burning on the street.


Reuters quoted a witness in Kharkiv as saying Russian soldiers and armored vehicles could be seen in different parts of the city and firing could be heard.


In Kyiv, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said 31 people have died in the capital from attacks by Russia as Ukrainian troops and citizens continue to band together to try and repel an invasion.

Klitschko said in a post on Telegram on February 27 that the capital was rocked with clashes and skirmishes overnight. "Russia is shelling residential neighborhoods in the Ukrainian capital," he wrote.


"Our military, law enforcement, and territorial defense continue to detect and neutralize saboteurs," he added.


Klitschko said there were no Russian troops present in Kyiv, adding that of the 31 deaths, nine were civilians.


Over the four days since the invasion, Klitschko said 106 people have been injured, 47 of which are civilians.

The developments came as Zelenskiy's office announced that Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet for talks at a venue on the Belarusian border with Ukraine.

MORE/VIDEOS Kyiv Mayor Says 31 Dead In Capital From Russian Attacks, As Two Sides Agree To Hold Talks

How did these scum do, i am hoping the Chechens meet the real SF from the west.

well they didn't hit heir target

Ukrainian Tanks

taking aim

Tough women

The reality of Russian incursion

U.S. and NATO condemn Putin nuclear alert order

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The United States and NATO on Sunday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to put his nuclear forces on high alert as dangerous and unacceptable, while the White House said it was considering imposing new sanctions on Russia's energy sector.


In issuing the order to prepare Russia's nuclear weapons for increased readiness for launch, Putin cited "aggressive statements" from NATO allies and widespread sanctions imposed by Western nations that have already disrupted his country's economy.


The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program that Putin's actions had escalated the conflict and were "unacceptable."


Thomas-Greenfield said the United States welcomed the news that Russian and Ukrainian officials would meet for talks on the border Belarus, but that it "remains to be seen" if Russia is acting in good faith.


Asked if there was a threat of chemical and biological weapons being used by Russia, Thomas-Greenfield said of Putin, "Certainly nothing is off the table with this guy. He's willing to use whatever tools he can to intimidate Ukrainians and the world."


"This is dangerous rhetoric. This is a behavior which is irresponsible," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on CNN's "State of the Union" program, referring to Russia's nuclear alert status.


White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Putin was responding to an imaginary threat.


"We've seen him do this time and time again. At no point has Russia been under threat from NATO, has Russia been under threat from Ukraine," Psaki said on ABC's "This Week" program.


"This is all a pattern from President Putin and we're going to stand up to it. We have the ability to defend ourselves, but we also need to call out what we're seeing here from President Putin," Psaki added.


Ukraine said Putin's order regarding Russian nuclear forces was calculated to put pressure at the start of talks but that Kyiv would not be cowed.


The United States also has not taken sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector off the table, Psaki said.


"We want to take every step to maximize the impact of consequences on President Putin while minimizing the impact on the American people and the global community. And so energy sanctions are certainly on the table. We have not taken those off. But we also want to do that and make sure we're minimizing the impact on the global marketplace and do it in a united way," Psaki said.


The United States is open to providing additional assistance to Ukraine, Psaki said.


U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday announced $54 million in new humanitarian aid for Ukrainians affected by the invasion, which was in addition to the $350 million sent by the United States last week.


"This includes the provision of food, safe drinking water, shelter, emergency health care, winterization, and protection," Blinken said in a statement.


Ukraine calls Putin's order to put nuclear forces on alert a pressure tactic.

U.S. and NATO condemn Putin nuclear alert order | Nasdaq

He's trying his last threat, the loon is running out of ideas. I can only assume if he continues someone in the upper echelon is going to silence him on behalf of rightminded Russians.

Originally Posted by helge

If this is to be believed, I'd say that the russian army has lost or will retreat soonish.

But the "information war" is on.

I know exactly as much as anyone of you.

Just about nothing

Judging from the amount of footage of destroyed Russian convoys, those numbers look closer to being the truth than an outright lie.

It appears that Ukraine is having quite a bit of success using Turkish made Bayraktar TB2 drones.

Ukraine’s air force confirmed two strikes on Russian targets by Turkish-made drones, evidence that Kyiv is using the drones effectively against Moscow’s invading forces.

The chief of Ukraine’s air force, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, called the Bayraktar TB2 drones “life-giving” in a Facebook post.
A video posted on Twitter by the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara showed a convoy of more than a dozen vehicles consumed by a fireball and a plume of smoke. The embassy tweeted two more videos taken out the window of a moving vehicle showing the charred wreckage of military vehicles.
The Ukrainian air force confirmed that one of these videos depicted the result of a TB2 strike in the town of Chornobaivka, in southern Ukraine, an area that has experienced serious fighting over the past couple of days.
“Never a rose without a thorn,” the embassy wrote in one of the tweets. “Russian invaders have to put up with Bayraktar TB2s.”
The embassy called the strike “divine justice” for a Russian airstrike that killed 34 Turkish soldiers in Syria on this date two years ago.
Ukraine began receiving shipments of the Turkish-made drones in 2019 and has been using their high-powered cameras to view the battlefield and laser-correct artillery strikes. The TB2 can stay aloft for 24 hours, with an altitude ceiling of roughly 25,000 feet. A remote pilot can fly the drone from as far away as 185 miles, weather permitting.

Ukraine Says It Used Turkish-Made Drones to Hit Russian Targets

Originally Posted by pickel

It appears that Ukraine is having quite a bit of success

Actually, the Russians have been treading softly re full force commitment and advance clearance. God help Ukraine and Kyiv when Putin orders real frontal assault.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Actually, the Russians have been treading softly re full force commitment and advance clearance. God help Ukraine and Kyiv when Putin orders real frontal assault.

You cut my sentence in half there to make it sound like I said something else. Now, are you saying the drone strikes aren't successful?

'No to War': Thousands Detained in Russian Protests

Russia on Sunday detained more than 2,000 anti-war protesters across the country, an independent monitor said, on the fourth day of President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine that took many Russians by surprise.


OVD-Info, which monitors arrests at protests, said 2,114 protesters had been detained on Sunday.

This brought the total tally of protesters detained since Putin launched the invasion in the early hours of Thursday to 5,250, the monitor said.


Thousands have defied Russia's strict protest laws to stage demonstrations in cities across Russia.


AFP saw around 200 protesters being detained in Russia's second city St. Petersburg on Sunday.


Around 400 people had gathered in the former imperial capital to protest the Kremlin's move on Ukraine.


Many held posters that read "No to war," "Russians go home" and "Peace to Ukraine."


"It is a shame that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of us and not millions," 35-year-old engineer Vladimir Vilokhonov, who took part in the protest, told AFP.


Another protester, 25-year-old Alyona Stepanova, had come to the protest with a packed bag in case "we get taken away."


"We believe it is our duty to come here," she said.


Riot police tried to deafen their anti-war shouts by blasting out patriotic music.


"I am against war. I was born in 1941 and I know what it means," said Valeria Andreyeva, born in the year Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union.


Putin sent troops over the border after a flurry of Western leaders had for weeks tried to dissuade him from doing so.


Many Russians were shocked by the decision, announced after officials had for months laughed off Western claims that Russia would attack Ukraine.


In Moscow, AFP saw around 50 people detained on the city's Pushkin Square. Some appeared to be passers-by.


The statue of Russia's national poet on the square has long been a favorite protest spot in the capital.


OVD-Info said anti-war protesters came out in 45 cities across Russia Sunday.


Russia has been hit by massive international sanctions since its attack on Ukraine.

'No to War': Thousands Detained in Russian Protests - The Moscow Times

Russia's war on Ukraine: Day four situation on the ground


The focus of fighting on day four of Russia's invasion appeared to be around Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, which lies close to the Russian border in northwest Ukraine.


Here AFP describes the situation, based on statements from both sides as well as assessments by Western defense and intelligence officials.


Ground situation


Russian forces have pressed into Ukraine from the north, east and south since beginning their invasion on February 24, but have encountered intense resistance from Ukrainian troops which has likely surprised Moscow, according to Western sources.


Russian forces in lightly armored vehicles broke into the city of Kharkiv earlier on Sunday, according to the head of the regional administration, Oleg Sinegubov, and an AFP correspondent in the city heard machine gun fire and explosions.


Sinegubov later claimed that Ukrainian forces had repelled the attack and were back in control, with wrecked and abandoned Russian armored vehicles later visible on the street.


In the south, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its troops had besieged the Ukrainian cities of Kherson and the city of Berdyansk in the southeast.


It also claimed that Russian troops had taken control of Genichesk, a port city along the Sea of Azov, and an airfield near Kherson.
None of the claims could be independently verified.


Russia has so far not succeeded in fully taking any major Ukrainian city and does not appear to have full aerial superiority, although its forces have been bearing down on the capital Kyiv.


"You are beginning to see the weaknesses on the battlefield... the fact that they haven’t been able to occupy a city and hold on to it, that tells you something," Eliot A Cohen from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington told AFP.


A U.S. official, speaking anonymously to reporters in Washington, said Russia had now deployed about two-thirds of the 150,000-strong combat force it had positioned on Ukraine's borders.


The apparent Russian plan to quickly seize the two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, has faltered because of "creative" resistance from Ukrainian troops and the Russians' own fuel and logistical support issues, the Pentagon believes.


The main Russian force remains halted around 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the capital, which remains in Ukrainian hands despite overnight firefights.


Claims and counterclaims


The conflict has been marked by radically different versions of events from both sides.


Ukraine has claimed that 4,300 Russian troops have been killed and that many soldiers are surrendering.


The Kharkiv governor claimed that forces were abandoning their vehicles "in the middle of the road" and groups of them were surrendering to the army.

"Since the beginning of the attack on Ukraine, they have not received food and water," the governor claimed.


Russia admitted fatalities for the first time on Sunday, but did not say how many.


Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed that Ukrainians were surrendering "en masse."


As of Sunday, the Russian army said it had destroyed 975 military facilities in Ukraine and shot down eight fighter jets, seven helicopters and 11 drones.


What's next?

Western sources agree that days of fierce fighting loom for control of Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — who has insisted on staying in the capital — in physical danger.


Western intelligence officials believe that Putin's aim appears to be to divide Ukraine in two by taking control of Kyiv and the territory east of the Dnipro river.


Fears are growing about the fresh firepower that Russia might bring to bear on territories currently defended by the Ukrainian army, with one-third of its invasion force on the border waiting, according to the Pentagon.


"That's a lot of combat power," the U.S. official said.


He added that Russian forces appeared to be positioning to launch a siege on cities it has not quickly captured, specifically Chernihiv northeast of Kyiv, putting large populations of civilians at risk.


For a siege to be successful, the official said, "you basically by design are going to be targeting civilian infrastructure and causing civilian harm."

Russia Attacks Ukraine: As It's Happening - The Moscow Times

Russia blocks website about captured and killed RF soldiers

Ukrainian Internal Affairs website, "Search for Kin" (200rf.com) with data on captured and killed servicemen from the Russian Federation has been blocked on the territory of Russian.


Source: Echo of Moscow


Details: The decision to block the site was taken by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office. Roskomnadzor has entered the resource in the Register of Prohibited Sites.


According to the website, it was created by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.


"On it you will find information about captured and killed Russian soldiers in Ukraine since the beginning of the occupation. Photos and videos from the battlefield will be posted promptly," the website reads.


A duplicate of the site was added to the Telegram channel "Search for Kin", and continues to operate. It includes photos and videos of the killed and captured Russian servicemen, as well as known information about them.


What preceded: Ukraine’s The Ministry of Internal Affairs launched the website 200rf.com, where it publishes photos and identification documents of the dead and captured occupiers so that their relatives can find them.

Russia blocks website about captured and killed RF soldiers | Ukrayinska Pravda

Putin will be dead within the year.