Russia invades Ukraine, Mariupol strikes proceed

About two thirds of Russian troops that had been centered round Ukraine’s capital metropolis, Kyiv, have “departed the world,” a senior US protection official advised reporters Monday. 

The troops which have left the world round Kyiv are “heading north,” and “consolidating in Belarus,” the official mentioned. 

“What we proceed to consider is that they’re going to be refit, resupplied, maybe possibly even bolstered with further manpower, after which despatched again into Ukraine to proceed preventing elsewhere,” the official added. 

The US “evaluation” is that these troops will likely be “utilized within the jap occasion of the nation, within the Donbas area,” to battle there, the official mentioned. 

A “bitter battle” continues over Mariupol, however “there aren’t any indications that the Russians have made any progress” in taking town, the official mentioned.

Russian forces at the moment are “far more to a defensive posture” round Kherson, the official mentioned.

“We assess that within the Kherson space, as we’ve been speaking about for the previous couple of days, the Russians have sort of gotten pinched between Kherson and Mykolaiv. We now assess that they’ve shifted far more to a defensive posture round Kherson,” the official added.

Russian forces are “nonetheless flying about greater than 200 sorties a day,” and “most of their airstrikes are specializing in the Izyum space,” the official mentioned.