US: Russian forces lose momentum to stiff Ukraine resistance

A view shows the wreckage of an unidentified aircraft which crashed into a private house in a residential area in Kyiv on February 25, 2022

A view shows the wreckage of an unidentified aircraft which crashed into a private house in a residential area in Kyiv on February 25, 2022

Russia's drive to seize control of Ukraine quickly has lost momentum amid resistance from Ukrainian fighters on the ground and in the air, a senior US defense official said Friday.

"Their momentum, particularly as it comes to Kyiv, has slowed over the last 24 hours," the official said. 

"They have not achieved the progress that we believe they anticipated they would," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon believes that Moscow wants to seize control of Kyiv and replace the Western-leaning government with allies of the Kremlin.

But so far, while Russian forces have focused on military targets, they have not been able to disrupt the Ukrainian military structure.

Nor have they been able to command air space. The Pentagon says that Ukrainian air defense systems are still working and the country's air force is still able to fly and threaten Russian aircraft.

"We continue to have indications that it's not going quite the way that they had anticipated."

While Russian forces have reached the outskirts of Kyiv, they have not been able to enter, and fighting remains heavy around Kharkiv, which also has not fallen.

Russians have also sought to take control of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant on the Dnieper river north of Crimea, launching cyberattacks on the plant, the official said.

The official said that they had moved "about a third of their combat power" into Ukraine, and the rest remain in place just outside.

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