Russians 'struggling with Ukrainian terrain' as reluctance to go off-road stalls advance

Invading forces surrounded the capital but struggle to break Ukrainians' lines of defence

A Ukrainian passes a Russian armoured personnel carrier near Brovary. Getty Images

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Vladimir Putin’s troops have been thrown off by the challenging Ukrainian terrain and are reluctant to send tanks through rough fields and forests, hampering the army’s ability to gain a foothold in their neighbouring nation, according to British intelligence.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said for the most part Russian troops are concentrated on roads and their ability to get around is being thwarted by the lack of suitable river crossings.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces have worked to destroy key bridges leading to strategic cities and towns.

As the war stretches into its fourth week, the MoD said Russian soldiers are “struggling to overcome the challenges posed by Ukraine’s terrain”.

“Russian forces have remained largely tied to Ukraine’s road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road manoeuvre,” the ministry said in an intelligence update on Wednesday, day 21 of the invasion.

“The destruction of bridges by Ukrainian forces has also played a key role in stalling Russia’s advance.

“Russia’s continued failure to gain control of the air has drastically limited their ability to effectively use air manoeuvre, further limiting their options.

“The tactics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have adeptly exploited Russia’s lack of manoeuvre, frustrating the Russian advance and inflicting heavy losses on the invading forces.”

Justin Bronk, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a British defence and security think tank, said judging from the current situation it appears unlikely that Russia can successfully take Kyiv.

Mr Bronk said Mr Putin’s troops continue to target the Ukrainian capital with cruise missiles and some ballistic missiles, but their efforts to establish a presence on the ground in the city centre have so far failed.

Heavy clashes are taking place in the north-east and north-west suburbs of the city, which was home to 2.9 million people before Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine.

Mr Bronk said the groups of Russian troops encircling the capital are small, and the army therefore has a “limited capacity to push in a large scale around Kyiv itself”.

“I must admit I don’t think at this point that Russia can take the city centre,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “I don’t think it’s possible with the combat power they have so it will be encirclement and bombardment as part of a strategy to pressure terms for a ceasefire.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered hope of a possible breakthrough in peace negotiations, despite Moscow’s stepped-up bombardment of Kyiv and new assaults on the port city of Mariupol.

Smoke rising in Kyiv, which mayor Vitali Klitschko says faces a 'difficult and dangerous moment' as Russian forces step up strikes. AFP

Pope Francis meets visitors holding the Ukrainian flag during his weekly general audience in the Vatican. AFP

An anti-war protester demonstrates against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in front of the Nato headquarters in Brussels. AFP

A poster in Saint Petersburg carries the letter Z, a symbol of support for the invasion, and reads: "We are proud of Russia! We are not ashamed!" AFP

Amid the Ukraine war, there's time for a seaside stroll in Odesa. Reuters

A child who fled from Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office in Brussels. EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives a standing ovation as he appears via videoconference to make an address to Canada's Parliament. AP

A woman walks with a bicycle next to a building damaged during the conflict in the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha, Donetsk region. Reuters

A firefighter outside a destroyed apartment building in a residential area of Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian soldiers pay tribute to Col Valeriy Gudz, who was killed in battle against Russian troops, at a cemetery in the town of Boryspil. AP

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a housing block hit by shelling in the Sviatoshynsky district, in western Kyiv. AFP

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The Met Opera and Chorus performs during 'A Concert For Ukraine' in New York City. AFP

A worker welds metal at the Interpipe Steel plant in Dnipro, Ukraine. Hundreds of Interpipe’s 10,000 employees have joined the fight against Russia. AP

A woman is rescued by firefighters from her apartment in a burning building that was hit by artillery shells in Kyiv. AP

Rescuers work at a building damaged by an air strike, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman who fled Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office, in Brussels. EPA

Cars stuck at the Irpin River bridge, as Russia unleashes a barrage of air strikes on cities across Ukraine. AFP

A firefighter looks at a section of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile on a street in the separatist Donetsk region. The Russian military said 20 civilians were killed by a ballistic missile launched by the Ukrainian forces. AP

Musician Davide Martello plays a piano near the Ukrainian border in Medyka, Poland. More than 1.76 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Polish Border Guard reported on March 14. EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, snaps a selfie with a wounded man during a visit at a military hospital after fighting in the Kyiv region.AFP

Ukrainian soldiers carry rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles as they walk towards the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

Troops carry an elderly woman on a stretcher across a makeshift bridge as Ukrainians flee Irpin. AFP

Irina Moprezova, 54, stands in front of a house that was damaged by an air strike in Irpin. AFP

The flags of Russia and Ukraine are projected on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, which a representative from the Jerusalem Municipality said is a show of support for diplomatic dialogue between the countries. Reuters

A person holds a Ukrainian flag during an anti-war demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier takes cover as people flee Irpin. AFP

Ukrainians shelter in an underground train station during the day in Kyiv. EPA

A Ukrainian serviceman walks carefully with his weapon in the city of Irpin, near Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian people flee the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen carry an elderly woman on a stretcher from the city of Irpin. AFP

A girl plays games on her tablet inside a subway carriage being used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv. AFP

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an air strike on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian troops with a Javelin anti-tank missile on the front line in the northern Kyiv region. Reuters

A woman carries her dog during an evacuation in Irpin. Reuters

A Ukrainian woman takes shelter in a metro station during the day in Kyiv. EPA

A member of the Ukrainian armed forces on patrol in Irpin. Reuters

A Ukrainian fighter takes cover behind a car in the city of Irpin. AFP

Firefighters at work after air strikes hit residential buildings in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine. AFP

A man wounded in an air strike is helped by medical staff in Novoiavorivsk, western Ukraine. Getty

The ruins of the Ukraine Hotel after recent shelling in Chernihiv. EPA

After delegations from Ukraine and Russia met again on Tuesday via video, Mr Zelenskyy said early on Wednesday that Russia’s demands were becoming “more realistic”. The two sides were expected to speak again on Wednesday.

Mr Bronk said a full-scale assault from the sea on the strategically important Black Sea port city of Odesa could not be ruled out, but said such an attack looks unlikely at this stage.

He said Russian navy forces shelled the city on Tuesday and another round of missiles could be on the cards for Wednesday as ships have again moved close to the shoreline.

“An amphibious landing at Odesa would certainly be a threat for Ukraine but certainly for the moment the forces around Mikolaiv are too far really to rapidly reinforce it,” he said. “Amphibious landings are still extremely dangerous for the force conducting them and there aren’t many places on the coastline that are particularly suitable for it so the Russian navy would expect to take a lot of losses and it would be interesting to see if they’re that desperate.”

The defence expert said Ukrainian troops on Tuesday had destroyed at least four Russian helicopters at an air base near the occupied southern city of Kherson.

Kherson became the first major city to fall to the invading forces when the Russians captured it on day eight of the invasion.

Defence expert Franz-Stefan Gady said Mr Putin’s army is facing “manpower issues” and suggested conscripts could be coerced into extending their military service as the war looks ;likely to drag on.

Mr Gady, who has advised militaries in Europe and the US, suggested the Russian leader could “attempt to generate additional forces by pressing conscripts whose service ends on April 1 to sign new contracts” with the armed forces.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called Mr Putin an “extremely dangerous man” and said he may be “playing a smoke and mirrors game” by negotiating for peace with Ukraine while attacking the country.

“The first precursor to any successful peace talks has to be a ceasefire and Putin withdrawing his troops from Ukraine,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“It’s very, very difficult for the Ukrainians to negotiate with a gun against their heads, and I am very, very concerned that Putin is playing a smoke and mirrors game of trying to claim that he is seeking peace while at the same time continuing with this appalling war that he instigated and [in which] he is not making the progress that he thought he would.”