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Russia is “deliberating” sending additional troops to fight in Ukraine amid mounting battlefield losses of personnel and equipment, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
“We have seen indications that the Russians are considering, discussing and deliberating the degree to which they need to bring in resupply from outside the theatre,” a senior US defence official told Pentagon reporters.
The idea remains under discussion and Washington has yet to see indications that any reinforcements have been sent, the official said.
“We know they said that [the Russians] are suffering losses every day, losses of people lots of equipment, losses of aircraft, and so it certainly stands to reason that they would want to be exploring options to to replenish those losses,” the official said.
Russia has said its troop losses are in the hundreds, but western assessments including from the US and Britain put the number at more than 5,000 Russian servicemen killed since the war began on February 24.
Asked about the $800 million in new military aid the US is providing to Ukraine, the US official hinted that the 100 tactical drones in the package will be armed.
“It's safe to assume that these systems that will be there, they’re designed to deliver a punch,” the official said.
The official did not elaborate on a timeline or routes the US is using to deliver its weaponry to Ukraine, but stressed deliveries “are still flowing".
“As far as we're concerned, there's not going to be like a pause here.”
The White House reported that the $800m US assistance package includes:
- 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems
- 2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armour weapons and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armour systems
- 100 tactical drones
- 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns
- More than 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition as well as grenade launcher and mortar rounds
- 25,000 sets of body armour and helmets
The Pentagon said Russia is frustrated by a lack of progress in Ukraine but said that Moscow still has significant combat power.
Its military has fired about 980 missiles over the course of the conflict, the US official said, but its offensive remains stalled around Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol.
The Pentagon said Russia has started shelling some cities outside the strategic port city of Odesa.
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This satellite image shows Epicentr K shopping centre before it was damaged in Chernihiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
Epicentr K shopping centre after it was destroyed. AP Photo -
Apartment buildings before the conflict began, in western Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP -
The apartment buildings after they were hit. AFP -
A hospital in Mariupol before an attack. Reuters -
The Mariupol hospital with airstrike damage after the Russian attack. AP Photo -
Portcity shopping mall and other stores in Mariupol in February. AP Photo -
The heavily damaged Portcity shopping mall and surrounding stores on March 9. AP Photo -
Homes and buildings in Mariupol before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Reuters -
The destroyed homes and buildings in Mariupol. Reuters
“We believe these are Russian warships in the Black Sea … whether this is the precursor of, you know, a looming amphibious assault, we just don't see that yet,” the official said.
As Russian forces continue to advance towards Kyiv, military experts expect a fierce urban battle to eventually ensue.
The package of weapons President Joe Biden pledged to Ukraine on Wednesday could prove vital in helping Ukrainians defend their capital.
“In this type of high-intensity attack of a defence, the defenders need anti-tank weapons because you can't get inside that city without tanks and armour,” said John Spencer, a retired US army major and the chairman of Urban Warfare studies at the Madison Policy Forum.
But it is the small arms ammunition, 20 million rounds of it, that Mr Spencer said will be especially important in the urban environment.
“We say it takes four times the ammo to do an operation in an urban terrain than it does in others that works for both attacking and defending,” he told The National.
“They need more ammo than we think they do.”
Alexander Downes, associate professor of Political Science at George Washington University, said Russian President Vladimir Putin may try to stop US and Nato weapons reaching Ukrainian forces.
“My sense is [Mr Putin] will try to stop the shipments, either once they get into Ukraine or very close to the border, rather than attack or retaliate against the Nato country directly,” Mr Downes told The National.
Moscow “will try to interdict the weapons shipments as they transit Ukraine to get to Ukrainian military”, he added.
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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 -
Two people were killed as a series of powerful explosions rocked residential districts in Kyiv just hours before talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume. AFP -
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
