Kyiv: Satellite images taken on Monday show a Russian military convoy north of Kyiv that stretches for about 40 miles (64 km) in an area northwest of Kyiv. It is substantially longer than the 17 miles (27 km) reported earlier in the day, according to the US company Maxar.
Maxar, which filed a series of satellite images on the Russian military buildup on the Ukraine border, also said additional ground forces deployments and ground attack helicopter units were seen in southern Belarus, less than 20 miles (32 km) north of the Ukraine border.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has fallen behind schedule thanks to fierce local resistance, and multiple Russian equipment and logistics failures, according to a classified US government briefing attended by US Senator Chris Murphy.
1/Confirmation that the Russians have fallen behind their timeline. Ukrainian resistance has been fierce and there have been multiple Russian equipments and logistics failures.
In a series of tweets, Murphy adds that the defence department and the homeland security department are pushing hard for Congress to approve Joe Biden’s plan for at least $6.4bn in supplemental funding to help Ukraine, which will require cooperation from both parties.
He adds that it is expected that the fight for Kyiv will be “long and bloody”.
2/DoD and DHS are pressing hard for Congress to end the continuing resolution and get a budget passed. There is no way for our national security agencies to be nimble enough to support Ukraine if they are operating on the 2020/21 budget.
3/ The ability to keep supply lines running to Ukraine remains alive, but Russia will try to encircle and cut off Kyiv in the next several weeks. The fight for Kyiv will be long and bloody and Ukrainians are rapidly preparing for the street to street combat.
4/ The U.S. and allies are coordinating to not only freeze the assets of Putin and his oligarch allies but to seize those assets as well. This is likely a further step than Putin’s inner circle anticipated.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, has read aloud a text message exchange between a Russian soldier in Ukraine and his mother before he was killed.
When the mother purportedly asks her son if he is still in the Crimea on training exercises he tells her:
“Mama, I’m in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I’m afraid,” the message allegedly reads, adding that “we are bombing all the cities”, “even civilians”.
The BBC Ukrainian service report that contains quotes from the city’s mayor saying nine people have been killed also quotes a city official saying on Telegram that “dozens” of bodies could be seen in the city’s streets. He called it a “war crime”.
In quotes also reported by Agence France-Presse, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv military state administration, said the Russians had bombarded civilian areas where there was no critical infrastructure or armed forces. He estimated “there are 11 dead and dozens wounded”.
He added:
Dozens of dead civilians are lying in the middle of the streets, there are very seriously injured. Affected cars along with passengers burned to the ground.
What is happening in Kharkiv now is a war crime! It is a genocide of the Ukrainian people.
The struggle continues! We will survive, residents of the Kharkiv region, we help each other, we are one!
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported at least 406 civilian casualties, including at least 102 dead.
“The real figure could be considerably higher, as many reported casualties to have yet to be confirmed,” said Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, briefing the Security Council from Geneva. At least 160,000 people have been internally displaced, and the actual figure could be substantially higher.
The 102 fatal victims include seven children, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, said earlier
- Russian forces have launched rocket attacks that killed “dozens” of civilians in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv, and began a renewed assault on the capital Kyiv.
- The international criminal court’s prosecutor is seeking the court’s approval to investigate alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
- Russia used a vacuum bomb on Monday in its invasion of Ukraine, according to Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US.
- The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported at least 406 civilian casualties, including at least 102 dead.
- Canada will supply upgraded ammunition and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, prime minister Justin Trudeau said.
- The Ukrainian president has called for a no-fly zone for Russian missiles, planes and helicopters following the attack on Kharkiv.
- Fifa and Uefa have suspended Russia’s national and club teams from all international competitions until further notice.
(Photo: Satellite overviews around Ivankiv, northwest of Kyiv.)