[Defense News] Russian invasion still slowed, airspace over Ukraine still contested, Pentagon says6:33 p.m. EST March 6
Though Russia has now committed about 95% of the combat power it amassed along Ukraine’s borders, the Pentagon has seen "limited changes on the ground" while the airspace remains contested, a senior U.S. defense official said Sunday evening.
After 11 days of war, "Russian forces continued efforts to advance and isolate Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv across the north and east are being met with strong Ukrainian resistance," the official said, in an email to reporters.
"There does not appear to be any significant movement along the Russian axes," the official said. "Leading elements remain outside these city centers. We cannot give specific distances today."
The long convoy of Russian troops and vehicles headed south to Kyiv "continues to be stalled," the official said, offering details on the condition of anonymity.
"We assess that the Russians have now committed inside Ukraine somewhere near 95% of the combat power they had amassed along the border.
Fighting continues in the south, near the cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv, the official said.
"We cannot independently verify reporting of Russian forces firing on protesters in Kherson," said the official, who added that the Pentagon has not observed an amphibious landing in or near Odessa either.
"Nor do we assess one is imminent," the official said.
"We’ve observed continued ongoing fighting and efforts to encircle Mariupol," the official said. "There continue to be reports of wide-spread utility outages (water and electricity)."
Earlier in the day, Ukraine claimed Russia violated a second ceasefire agreement. The official could not independently verify those claims.
It's pretty clear the Russians did. Including one where a NYT reporter was 20ft from a mortar explosion that killed 3 of a family of 4.