[Yahoo News via the KOS] "If Russia resorts to siege tactics, the Ukraine war could take a horrible turn"WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin's military forces seem poised to adopt siege tactics that could result in enormous civilian deaths and infrastructure damage after their initial assault has failed to topple the Ukrainian government, officials and experts say.
Putin and his military commanders have been caught off guard by the ferocious resistance of Ukrainian troops and ordinary citizens. His main assault force for the capital of Kyiv remains bogged down about 15 miles from the city, harassed by Ukrainian attacks and hobbled by a lack of fuel for combat vehicles and food for the Russian soldiers, a senior Defense Department official said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe intelligence findings.
Putin went to war with a "deeply flawed" plan for a swift operation to decapitate the Ukrainian government and install a puppet regime, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Armed Services Committee. The strategy rested on the assumption that Ukrainian soldiers and citizens would acquiesce without a fight.
"He has gravely miscalculated the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people," said Blumenthal, who visited Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion and has been briefed on the war by the Pentagon. "These people were never going to welcome Putin as a liberator, nor would they accept Russian rule modeled on the Soviet example. They’ve gotten used to freedom, and they love it.""