Russia Ukraine war updates: Dark new rules show Kyiv is in trouble
A grim announcement in Kyiv comes as Russia launched fresh attacks in Ukraine’s capital, which has nearly been encircled by troops.
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Kyiv will impose a 36-hour curfew from Tuesday night amid a “difficult and dangerous moment” after several Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russian soldiers to surrender in his latest public address, as the invasion continues to be “stalled”.
“What are you dying for?” Mr Zelensky asked, addressing the Russians directly.
“I know you want to survive. We hear in your intercepted calls what you really think of this war, of this shame, and of your state. Your conversations with each other, your calls home to your families, we hear everything. We know who you are.
“That is why I offer you a choice: if you surrender to our forces, we will treat you as humans have to be treated, with dignity. The way you have not been treated in your army. And the way your army doesn’t treat our people. Choose.”
More than three million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.
“We have now reached the three-million mark in terms of movement of people out of Ukraine,” Paul Dillon, spokesman for the UN‘s International Organisation for Migration, told reporters in Geneva.
US officials say “almost all” of Russia’s military advances in Ukraine have made no significant progress in recent days, as the war stretches well into its third week.
Meanwhile a retired US army general has suggested Russia will “run out of time, people and ammunition” if Ukraine can hold out for another 10 days.
And there was an extraordinary moment on Russian state TV today, as a woman interrupted her own channel’s live news broadcast to protest against the war, at great personal risk.
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European PMs taking train to Kyiv in ‘truly remarkable stand’
The Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers were travelling to Kyiv by train in the first visit by foreign leaders to Ukraine’s besieged capital since Russia invaded last month.
The visit comes as Russia pummels targets across Ukraine including Kyiv, which has nearly been encircled by Moscow troops, and as Russia and Ukraine are due to resume talks to end the nearly three-week war.
Mateusz Morawiecki, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa are visiting as “representatives” of the European Union and are due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Polish government said in a statement.
“In such crucial times for the world, it is our duty to be in the place where history is being made,” Morawiecki said in a Facebook post.
“Because this is not about us, it is about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny,” he said.
CNN anchor Jim Sciutto described it as a “truly remarkable stand given current the threat to Kyiv”.
Together with Deputy PM Jarosław Kaczyński, PM @P_Fiala and PM @JJansaSDS we are going to Kiev to meet President @ZelenskyyUa and PM @Denys_Shmyhal. Europe must guarantee Ukraine's independence and ensure that it is ready to help in Ukraine's reconstruction.
— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) March 15, 2022
The government statement said that the visit had been organised “in agreement” with European Council chief Charles Michel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
“The purpose of the visit is to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and to present a broad package of support for the Ukrainian state and society,” the statement said.
Top Polish government official Michal Dworczyk said the train has crossed into Ukraine, describing it as a “a historic event”.
The trio is accompanied by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland’s populist right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, and will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal.
“Europe must send a strong signal for peace!” Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller tweeted.
Kyiv to impose curfew for ‘difficult and dangerous’ 36 hours
Kyiv will impose a 36-hour curfew from Tuesday night amid a “difficult and dangerous moment” after several Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The announcement came as Russia launched fresh attacks in Ukraine’s capital, which has nearly been encircled by Moscow’s troops in the third week of the invasion and that has lost an estimated half of its 3.5-million pre-war population.
“Today is a difficult and dangerous moment,” former boxing champion Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram.
“This is why I ask all Kyivites to get prepared to stay at home for two days, or if the sirens go off, in the shelters.”
The curfew from 8 pm (1800 GMT) on Tuesday until 7 pm (1700 GMT) on Thursday was a “decision of the military command”, he said.
It comes as the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers were travelling to Kyiv by train on Tuesday in the first visit by foreign leaders to the capital.
“Movement around Kyiv without special permits is forbidden. It is only allowed to go outside with the aim to get to the shelters,” he added.
Kyiv imposed a similar curfew on February 26 just after Moscow launched its invasion.
Zelensky adviser: ‘We are at a crossroads’
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the current war is at a crossroads as officials prepare for another round of peace talks.
“We are at a crossroads. Either we will agree at the current talks or the Russians will make a second attempt and then there will be talks again,” Oleksiy Arestovych said on Tuesday.
It came as the prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic announced they would travel to Kyiv by train today to meet with the leader under siege.
Footage shows missile hitting Kyiv bus
Chilling CCTV footage has captured the moment a deadly missile strike on a Kyiv city bus that caused it to erupt into a ball of flames.
The surveillance video, released by the Kyiv City Council, showed the stationary green bus in a Kyiv intersection around 11am local time.
The video, available in the player above, shows a bystander in the foreground look up at the sky before the bus explodes moments later.
Officials in the Ukrainian capital say the blast killed at least two people and injured nine.
Firefighters battle blaze in Kyiv
Authorities are battling to save a residential building in Kyiv after artillery strikes hit a neighbourhood in the Ukrainian capital early on Tuesday morning.
It comes as the the head of the Kyiv region revealed Russia has increased the frequency of airstrikes overnight in the city’s northwest, hitting the suburbs of Irpin, Hostomel and Bucha.
China lashes back at US accusation
China has denied claims made by US officials that Russia had requested military assistance in Ukraine.
The Chinese embassy in the UK accused the US of spreading “malicious disinformation”.
“The US has repeatedly spread malicious disinformation against China on the Ukraine issue,” the embassy said, via Reuters.
“China has been playing a constructive role in promoting peace talks.
“The top priority now is to ease the situation, instead of adding fuel to the fire, and work for diplomatic settlement rather than further escalate the situation.”
China has recently claimed its friendship with Russia is “rock solid” despite the invasion of Ukraine, opting against joining the West in imposing sanctions on the nation as the conflict rages on.
Mystery missiles giving Russia advantage
The weaponry Russia is using to inflict pain on Ukraine could include ballistic missiles equipped with decoy devices that make them impossible to intercept.
That is the claim by an unnamed US official who spoke with The New York Times.
The newspaper claims the previously unseen devices are attached to Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles. They purportedly use radio signals to jam radar detection.
The US official who spoke with the Times said the devices were equipped with what he called “penetration aids”.
This is an unidentified munition currently being found in Ukraine. At the moment an official identification has not been made. Any additional images, technical information or identification is very much appreciated: https://t.co/dtWwdIJaV3pic.twitter.com/p2lWFeljYd
— CAT-UXO (@CAT_UXO) March 5, 2022
The decoys are released by the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles fired from Russia.
Analysts believe the use of the decoys could explain why Ukraine’s anti-air weapons have faced problems intercepting Russia’s Iskander missiles.
“That suggests to me that the Russians place some value on keeping that technology close to home and that this war is important enough to them to give that up,” Professor Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies told the New York Times.
“They’re digging deep, and maybe they no longer care, but I would care if I were them.”
Munitions expert Richard Stevens, who spent over two decades as an explosive ordnance disposal soldier for the British Army said he had seen “to plenty of Chinese and Russian munitions, but I had never seen this”.
‘What are you dying for?’: Zelensky appeals as Russians sob
Volodymyr Zelensky has again urged Russian soldiers to surrender to Ukrainian forces in his latest public address amid new footage that shows Russian soldiers sobbing.
“They still can’t recover, but have begun to realise they won’t achieve anything by war,” Mr Zelensky told Ukrainians.
“Their soldiers know it. Their officers understand it. They flee from the battlefield, leaving behind their vehicles and equipment. We take the trophies and use them for defence.
“Russian forces have de facto become a supplier of equipment for our army. They couldn’t have imagined it in a nightmare.”
He then addressed the Russian soldiers directly.
“Please, listen to me,” said Mr Zelensky.
“You won’t be able to take anything from Ukraine. You will take lives - you are many - but yours will be taken too.
“What are you dying for? I know you want to survive. We hear in your intercepted calls what you really think of this war, of this shame, and of your state. Your conversations with each other, your calls home to your families, we hear everything. We know who you are.
“That is why I offer you a choice: if you surrender to our forces, we will treat you as humans have to be treated, with dignity. The way you have not been treated in your army. And the way your army doesn’t treat our people. Choose.”
The Sun reports that captured pilots slammed Vladimir Putin’s “treacherous invasion” during an emotional press conference on Sunday.
Seven army reconnaissance officers were shot down from Ukrainian airspace last week.
One of the soldiers was Galkin Sergey Alekseevich. The 34-year-old apologised and begged Vladimir Putin to stop the war.
“I apologise for myself, for my squad to every home to every street to every citizen of Ukraine, to the elderly, to women, to children for our invasion of these lands,” he said.
“I gravely apologise for our treacherous invasion.
“To the generalship of our military units I would like to say one thing - that they’ve acted cowardly, that they acted traitorously to us.”
Putin retaliates against aviation sanctions
Vladimir Putin has signed a law that gives Russian airlines the right to seize foreign-owned planes, so they can then be redeployed for domestic flights.
This is a response to Western sanctions, which threaten to completely cripple Russia’s aviation industry. Multiple nations have closed their airspace to Russian airliners, and some have gone further, banning the operation of planes for the beneft of Russian citizens.
Lawyers ‘can’t find’ Russian protester
According to the Russian media outlet Sota Vision, three different organisations have sent lawyers to defend Marina Ovsyannikova, the state media employee who was taken into police custody after protesting against the war during a live broadcast.
There’s a problem though. None of the lawyers can find her.
Ms Ovsyannikova was reportedly taken to the Ostankino police department. However, the Ostankino Department of Internal Affairs now claims she is not inside.
This is ominous to say the least.
Ms Ovsyannikova is expected to face charges for “discrediting” the Russian armed forces, which can carry a 15-year prison sentence.
Kyiv leader ‘ready to fight’
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko (who is also a former professional boxer) has declared he’s not scared of being kidnapped by Russian forces and is ready to fight for his city.
During an interview with Fox News, Mr Klitschko was asked what he’d do if the Russians did try to kidnap him, as they’ve reportedly done with leaders in other parts of the country.
“I am ready to fight,” he said.
“This will not be easy, to do that. Nobody is safe. Nobody feels safe in our country right now in this very difficult situation. But everyone is ready to fight, ready to defend our city.
“And I am not worried about kidnap. I am ready to fight, that’s why I have weapons. It’s my hometown, and I want to defend the interests of my citizens, my home, my family.”
Mr Klitschko also condemned Russia for targeting civilians.
“War has rules,” he said.
“Never touch children, never touch women, never touch civilians. But Russia doesn’t want the rules. What they want is the symbol of the city, symbol of community. They can’t stop the mood of the city, and that’s why they kidnap.”
Zelensky thanks brave Russian protester
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Russians to “fight” against their government’s disinformation, and personally thanked the state TV employee who protested during a live broadcast today.
“I’m thankful to those Russians who don’t stop trying to deliver the truth, who are fighting against disinformation and tell real facts to their friends and families, and personally, to that woman who went in the studio of Channel One with an anti-war poster,” he said.
“Those who aren’t afraid to protest. As long as your country isn’t completely closed off from the rest of the world, turning into a huge North Korea, you have to fight. You don’t have to miss your chance.”
You can read about the TV employee, Marina Ovsyannikova, here. Her brave protest has landed her in police custody and could lead to a lengthy prison sentence.
‘It’s a race’: General gives Russia 10-day deadline
Retired US army General Ben Hodges, who served as commander of United States Army Europe for three years, has predicted Russian forces will be unable to continue their assault on Ukraine 10 days from now – if Ukraine can hold out that long.
He highlighted three key deficiencies holding back the Russian military.
“Russia’s decision to transition to a war of attrition – they’re smashing cities, putting civilians on the road because of fear of being murdered – they need three things to do this. And they don’t have those three things,” Gen Hodges told MSNBC.
“They don’t have the time, they don’t have the manpower, and I don’t think they have the ammunition. So, in about 10 days, in my assessment – and this is assuming that we, the West, not only continue but accelerate the delivery of the capabilities Ukrainians need to destroy Russian long-range artillery and rocket launchers and missile sites – assuming we do that, then I think within the next 10 days, Russia is going to culminate.
“That means they won’t be able to continue the attack. So it’s kind of a race, actually. If we give the Ukrainians enough, where they can outlast Russia until Russia culminates, then in my assessment, unless something dramatically different happens, it’s about 10 days.”
He said essentially the same thing on CNN as well. For the sake of thoroughness, here are those quotes.
“I believe that we are probably about 10 days away from Russia culminating. In other words, running out of time, running out of people, and running out of ammunition,” he said.
“Kyiv is a huge city. I was there five weeks ago, met President Zelensky there. It is a very large city, very complex urban terrain, separated by one of the biggest rivers in Europe. I do not believe that the Russians have the numbers, actually, to encircle it, let alone capture it.
“They’re having ammunition shortages already because of the poor planning they’ve done. They have serious manpower shortages, which is why they’re recruiting Syrians to come and fight. Numerous accounts of mutiny, desertion, low morale.
“Now is the time for us to pour on the gas, to make it clear that we are in for the long haul. President Zelensky is right, Ukraine is going to win this thing, but the next 10 days are going to be decisive.”
🇺🇦 "I believe that we are probably about 10 days away from Russia culminating. In other words, running out of time, running out of people, and running out of ammunition." @general_ben tells @LauraAJarrett & @ChristineRomans that Russia does not have the manpower to take Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/VIv9GLxfqo
— CEPA (@cepa) March 14, 2022
NATO leaders consider holding summit
CNBC reports NATO leaders are discussing holding a meeting in Brussels late next week, to be attended by heads of state, including US President Joe Biden.
We should stress that the plans have not yet been finalised or formally announced.
This follows reporting from a few hours ago that the White House was considering a trip to Europe for Mr Biden, with the goal of rallying NATO and reassuring the alliance.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Poland and Romania last week, though a full-fledged summit involving heads of state would obviously be a bigger deal.
Ominous warning about ‘faked attack’
The British Ministry of Defence has warned that Russia could be planning a “false flag” operation involving chemical or biological weapons.
“Russia could possibly be planning to use chemical or biological weapons in a false flag operation,” the department said today.
“Such an operation could take the form of a faked attack, a staged ‘discovery’ of agents or munitions or fabricated evidence of alleged Ukrainian planning to use such weapons.
“A false flag attack would almost certainly be accompanied by extensive disinformation to complicate attribution.
“Intelligence suggests Russia likely intended to use false flag operations to justify their initial invasion of Ukraine on February 24.”
This is one of the big open questions in the war at the moment: if Russia does resort to illegal chemical weapons, how would the West respond?
Russia faces ‘sudden, catastrophic’ collapse
There is no shortage of (understandable) pessimism about the situation in Ukraine and how it will end. Political scientist Francis Fukuyama, whom you may recognise as the author of The End of History, has a more optimistic view.
Fukuyama has given a fresh interview to The Washington Post talking about the war, but as that interview is following up on an article he published a few days ago, we should start there.
In his initial article, Fukuyama predicted Russia “is heading for an outright defeat” in Ukraine.
“Russian planning was incompetent, based on a flawed assumption that Ukrainians were favourable to Russia and that their military would collapse immediately following an invasion,” he wrote.
“Putin, at this point, has committed the bulk of his entire military to this operation – there are no vast reserves of forces he can call up to add to the battle. Russian troops are stuck outside various Ukrainian cities, where they face huge supply chain problems and constant Ukrainian attacks.
“The collapse of their position could be sudden and catastrophic, rather than happening slowly through a war of attrition. The army in the field will reach a point where it can neither be supplied nor withdrawn, and morale will vaporise.
“This is at least true in the north. The Russians are doing better in the south, but those positions would be hard to maintain if the north collapses.”
He went on to say that Putin would “not survive the defeat of his army”.
“He gets support because he is perceived to be a strongman. What does he have to offer once he demonstrates incompetence and is stripped of his coercive power?”
That brings us to Fukuyama’s interview with the Post. Columnist Greg Sargent asked why the world shouldn’t expect Russia to “grind down” Ukraine eventually through mass slaughter, “necessitating some kind of surrender by Zelensky”.
“Russia does not begin to have a large enough military to occupy Ukraine and bring Ukraine to a point where they’d make that kind of concession,” Fukuyama said.
“It’s extremely costly for the Russians to keep up this kind of siege. Every single day, they lose a large number of armoured vehicles, men, supplies. The morale in the Russian army appears to be extremely low.
“It’s possible that at a certain point it becomes a little bit like Stalingrad, when the Germans had to retreat from that city. They can’t resupply the forces that are in place, and either they are forced to withdraw from positions they occupy, or the position just crumbles.”
The interview goes on to examine Fukuyama’s belief that Russia’s invasion has damaged populists around the world, which is an equally interesting subject. You can find the whole thing here.
China responded ‘positively’ to Russia’s request
Britain’s Financial Times reports the United States has told its allies that China responded “positively” to Russia’s request for military aid (a request both Russia and China claim was never made).
The diplomatic cables underpinning that report do not say whether China has actually provided help or just told Russia that it will.
They do, however, include a more detailed breakdown of what exactly Russia asked for: surface-to-air missiles, drones, armoured vehicles, logistics vehicles and intelligence-related equipment.
In addition, CNN reports the Russians wanted China to provide non-perishable food, suggesting it may struggle to feed its own troops.
Some of America’s allies have asked it to share the underlying intelligence. That hasn’t happened yet.
Act of defiance on Russian state TV
An employee of Russian state TV has interrupted her own channel’s live news broadcast to protest against the war in Ukraine, in an extraordinary act of defiance.
The incident happened during Russian station Channel One’s evening news broadcast. The woman ran into shot behind the newsreader holding a sign that read: “No war. Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They’re lying to you here.”
She was also chanting the words “stop the war”.
As the footage spread online, prominent human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov said the woman “needs to be protected urgently”. He identified her as Marina Ovsyannikova, an employee of the channel, and said she had been taken to the Ostankino police department.
She will reportedly face charges for “discrediting the Russian armed forces”, which can carry a prison term of up to 15 years.
I went through the trouble of running back on this broadcast through an ultra sketchy website because I didn't believe it. It's absolutely real. Happened about half an hour ago. This is one of Russia's most widely-viewed channels. https://t.co/FSldUGge5v
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) March 14, 2022
Ms Ovsyannikova recorded a video message in Russian before her protest, in which she denounced the war, said her father was Ukrainian, and said she was ashamed of spreading Putin’s propaganda.
“What is happening in Ukraine right now is a crime, and Russia is the aggressor country. The responsibility for this aggression lies on the conscience of only one person. This person is Vladimir Putin,” she said.
“My father is Ukrainian, my mother is Russian. They have never been enemies. this necklace on my neck is like a symbol of the need for Russia to immediately stop this fratricidal war. Our people can still make peace.
“Unfortunately, during these past years, I have been working at Channel One, involved in Kremlin propaganda. I am very ashamed of this. Ashamed because I allowed lies to be told from the TV screen.
“Right now the whole world has turned away from us. Ten generations of our descendants will not be able to wash off the shame of this fratricidal war.
“We are Russian people. A thinking and smart people. Only we have the power to stop this madness. Go to protests. Do not be afraid. They cannot put us all in jail.”
Many thousands of Russians have already been arrested for protesting against the war, including more than 4000 on Sunday alone.
Earlier this month, Russia adopted two new laws making it illegal to spread so-called “fake news” about its armed forces, or call for an end to the war. The penalties can be as severe as a 15-year jail sentence.
A video the TV network employee Maria Ovsyannikova recorded before storming the live Russian state news broadcast with a protest sign is now circulating. In it, she says her father is Ukrainian, her mother is Russian, and blames Putin for the war, calling on Russians to protest. pic.twitter.com/7yICeugRfe
— Paul Sonne (@PaulSonne) March 14, 2022
Putin has now ‘moved everything in’
Vladimir Putin has now committed the entirety of his prearranged military forces to the war and sent them into Ukraine, according to a senior US defence official.
“He’s moved everything in,” the official said. That quote comes via Jack Detsch, a national security reporter for Foreign Policy magazine.
Before launching the invasion, Putin massed about 190,000 troops along Ukraine’s border, but only a fraction of that number took part in the initial thrusts into the country.
Photos show the scale of destruction
Here are some of the latest images from Ukraine, spanning from Kyiv in the north to Kharkiv in the northeast the Polish border in the west, where refugees are trying to evacuate.
Musk challenges Putin to ‘single combat’
The world’s richest man, Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, challenged Vladimir Putin to “single combat” to decide the fate of Ukraine in a series of bombastic social media posts overnight.
“I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat. Stakes are Ukraine,” he said.
Mr Musk said he was “absolutely serious”.
“If Putin could so easily humiliate the West, then he would accept the challenge. But he will not,” he added.
It is unclear what sort of combat challenge the billionaire has in mind. A duel with pistols? Nude oil wrestling? In any case, it shall not be happening.
American reporter hospitalised in Ukraine
Fox News has revealed that one of its reporters, Benjamin Hall, has been hospitalised after being injured outside Kyiv.
“Ben is hospitalised, and our teams on the ground are working to gather additional information as the situation quickly unfolds,” CEO Suzanne Scott told employees in a message subsequently relayed on air by anchor John Roberts.
“The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority, and of the utmost importance.
“This is a stark reminder for all journalists who are putting their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from the war zone.”
This comes 24 hours after the tragic death of another American journalist, Brent Renaud, who was shot dead by Russian forces while reporting on refugee movements near Kyiv. Two of Mr Renaud’s colleagues were also hospitalised.
US and China hold ‘intense’ meeting
One of US President Joe Biden’s senior advisers has held a seven-hour meeting with a top Chinese diplomat, Yang Jiechi, in Rome.
The meeting came amid reports that Russia has approached China for military aid in its war on Ukraine (Russia and China both deny this). As such, according to the American side, it was “very candid” and “intense”.
“We do have concerns about China’s alignment with Russia at this time and the national security adviser was direct about those concerns, and the potential implications and consequences of certain actions,” a senior US official told CNN.
“We are communicating directly and privately to China about our concerns about the kinds of support that other countries might be providing to Russia.”
The official’s comments came shortly after a separate CNN report that the US has information suggesting “China has expressed some openness” to aiding Russia.
That assessment was part of a diplomatic cable relayed to America’s allies in Europe and Asia. It did not state that assistance had already been provided.
Russian advances ‘remain stalled’
“Almost all” of Russia’s advances in Ukraine “remain stalled”, according to a senior US defence official, with little progress made over the European weekend.
“There’s actually not a lot of specific changes or progress to speak to, in general,” they said.
The official, speaking to reporters during a background briefing, hailed the effectiveness of Ukrainian forces’ attacks on Russian “logistics and sustainment capabilities”, CNN reports.
They said Russian forces were still stuck about 15 kilometres from the centre of the capital city, Kyiv.
We heard a similar assessment during the US State Department’s daily press briefing.
“Putin has continued to escalate his attack, hitting hospitals, schools and residential buildings, pummelling infrastructure and killing civilians. All while Ukrainian forces continue to repel the siege,” said department spokesman Ned Price.
“It becomes more evident every day that President Putin has gravely miscalculated. Now, three weeks into his unprovoked war against Ukraine, the Kremlin’s forces remain stalled in many areas, and convoys have been unable to make significant progress.
“It is also clear that many brave people in Russia oppose the Kremlin’s unjustified war, despite the unprecedented crackdown on dissenting voices.”
And during the Pentagon’s briefing, spokesperson John Kirby said Russia still hadn’t managed to establish air superiority, and Ukrainian air space remained contested.
“The Ukrainians are defending their space ably,” he said.
“It’s contested because the Ukrainians are finding ways to continue to try to defend their air space and preserve their own mobility and manoeuvre space.”
He warned that the Russians appeared to be “broadening their target set”.
Originally published as Russia Ukraine war updates: Dark new rules show Kyiv is in trouble
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