Pentagon forces say 100% of Putin’s combat forces on the border are in Ukraine as the invasion stalls and believe Russia is recruiting Syrian troops for urban fighting: US raises more hope Zelensky and his fighters can win the war
- A Pentagon spokesman said on Monday that Vladimir Putin had sent his entire invasion force into Ukraine.
- In recent months, Russia has amassed more than 150,000 troops along the border with Ukraine.
- The official also confirmed that Russia has begun recruiting foreign fighters, including Syrians.
- He said it was “remarkable” that Putin “had to rely on foreign fighters” to supplement the massive invasion force.
- And he said it was not yet possible to say whether civilians were the intended targets of Russian attacks.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin has already committed about 100 per cent of its invasion force to UkraineThis was stated on Monday by a senior official from the US Department of Defense.
Russia has made no further moves to send battalions from other regions of Russia, the official said, as he instead confirmed that Moscow is now trying to recruit foreign fighters for its stalled offensive.
“Now we estimate that Putin has sent almost 100 percent of his combat power to Ukraine,” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
– And by combat power, I mean the combat power that he has accumulated along the border with Ukraine and in Belarus.’
Before the invasion began, US officials said they believed the Russians had amassed more than 150,000 people along Ukraine’s borders.
Vigorous resistance by Ukrainian troops and an influx of weapons from NATO countries, including grenade launchers to destroy tanks, are credited with stopping the main Russian advance north of the capital Kyiv, where an armored personnel carrier has been stationed for several days.
A still from a commercial provided by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense shows Russian servicemen riding a 152mm MSTA-S self-propelled artillery mount on a march near Kiev, Ukraine.
Refugees from Irpen are leaving the area using the last remaining humanitarian corridor, which opened at 10 am today. Russian troops continue their offensive in an attempt to encircle the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
The main Russian offensive against Kyiv has stalled, but Russia continues to advance in the south.
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard as residents wait to cross a destroyed bridge as they flee the front-line town of Irpin.
A Ukrainian serviceman watches as evacuees cross a destroyed bridge, leaving the town of Irpin.
But the Russian forces advanced further south, moving east and west along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas.
Meanwhile, officials said the US counted 625 Russian missile launches, including short-range, surface-to-air and cruise missiles.
This has intensified in recent days, the official said, endangering civilians, although it was hard to tell if they were deliberate targets.
“It looks like the Russians are increasing their use of long-range fire to supplement or compensate for the lack of ground movement they had and the lack of air superiority they don’t enjoy,” the official added.
As Putin failed to quickly capture Kyiv, reports surfaced over the weekend that Moscow was trying to recruit foreign fighters, including Syrians specialized in urban combat.
Volunteers were offered up to $300 to work as “guards” for six months in Ukraine, according to a publication based in Deir ez-Zor, Syria.
Hundreds of civilians are fleeing the town of Irpin, west of Kyiv, today after it came under heavy attack from Russian forces in recent days, while Putin’s men attempt to surround the capital.
Elderly people and families with children are helped to cross a fast-flowing river under a destroyed road bridge outside Irpin, a city west of Kyiv that Russian troops are attacking.
Local residents help a woman in a wheelchair evacuate her from Irpen
US officials believe that Russia committed 100 percent of its combat forces, which were concentrated along the border with Ukraine, into the fight.
“We believe … reports that the Russians are trying to recruit Syrians, in particular to enlist and fight in Ukraine, are true,” the official said.
“We find it remarkable that [Putin] believes it needs to rely on foreign fighters to complement what is a very important commitment of combat power within Ukraine as such.”
Meanwhile, it emerged that US officials had begun collecting information that could help determine whether Russia had committed war crimes.
“We are collecting evidence of possible war crimes, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. We support accountability using all available tools, including prosecution where appropriate,” a spokesman for the National Security Council said.
The Pentagon also sent an additional 500 troops to Europe over the weekend, bringing the total US troop strength to about 100,000, the official said as the United States seeks to prevent the war from spreading to NATO countries.
On Monday, the parties held a third round of talks, and an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said little progress had been made on the issue of safe corridors.