Thread by @KellerZoe

‘Strong resistance’ means Russian advance in Ukraine has failed its initial objectives, say Western officials. Fighting around key cities intensifies as UK minister for the Armed Forces says ‘Putin may well have bitten off more than he can chew’ telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…

The Russian advance in Ukraine has stalled and achieved none of its first-day objectives. The “strong resistance” put up by Ukrainian forces across the country has meant only limited gains have been made by the invading troops, Western security officials told The Telegraph.

Ben Wallace, Britain’s Defence Secretary, said Vladimir Putin’s recklessness had cost him “a bloody nose”. Ukrainian military airfields and bases have proved more resilient than was expected and Russian vehicle columns travelling by road have been ambushed across the country.

Despite large number of airbases having been attacked in the early hours of the invasion, Ukrainian military aircraft are still operating. Russia has yet to achieve air superiority in the skies, with Ukrainian Su-27 and Mig-29 fighters and Mi-24 helicopter gunships still active.

Ukrainian air defence systems were reportedly still effective as the onslaught entered its third day. The Russian attempt to wipe out Ukraine’s air force “has not been as effective as the Russians have wished” which “must create some doubt as to how Russia is employing airpower”.

Around half the available Russian forces – 60 Battalion Tactical Groups – have so far entered Ukraine. Sir Jim Hockenhull, Britain’s Chief of Defence Intelligence, said: “Russian forces continue to advance on two axes towards Kyiv.

Their objective is to encircle the capital, to secure control of the population and change the regime. “Overnight Russia launched a concerted series of strikes on targets in Kyiv. Multiple rocket launchers have been employed in Chernihiv and Kharkiv.

Ukrainian armed forces continue to offer strong resistance, focusing on the defence of key cities throughout Ukraine.”
On Friday morning, about the slow pace of Russia’s advance, Ben Wallace said Putin “didn’t get his way militarily despite all the boasting and the big forces.

He didn’t get his way in his political beliefs or legacy beliefs that he was really uniting the great peoples of Ukraine with his people and that they would hail him as some sort of liberator,” he said on LBC.

"That’s the very opposite of him. He will get a legacy from this. It won’t be the one he wants, it’ll be one that we decide in the international community.”

Updating Parliament on Friday, James Heappey, minister for the Armed Forces, said Russia’s failure to achieve its objectives on the first day would have resulted in “urgent reflections in the Kremlin”. “President Putin may well have bitten off more than he can chew.

“We’re not going to compromise the intelligence we’ve got but … we are pretty certain that in the Kremlin last night there would have been some pretty urgent reflections on the speed of the advance, compared to what they anticipated.”

US defence officials said on Friday that Ukraine’s air and missile defence capability was still operational.
“There is greater resistance from the Ukrainians than the Russians expected,” the official said.

“They are fighting for their country [and] Ukraine’s command and control is intact. We have a general sense that they [Russia] are not moving on Kyiv as fast as they anticipated doing.”

In the skies over Hostomel (north-west of Kyiv) Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind helicopters were in action against Russian forces on Friday. The Russian military took control of the international airport in Hostomel in the opening hours of the war, was later repulsed by Ukrainian forces.

Western officials said the airbase had changed hands “a number of times” since the invasion started and was still subject to “significant fighting”.

The airfield is too damaged for fighter jets to use, but attack and transport helicopter operations – such as an air assault operation into Kyiv – are still possible from the site. Russia has made progress in a number of areas, Ukraine retains control of all key cities.

The bulk of the gains by Russian forces have been in rural areas. The Ukrainian resistance is concentrating in urban areas, trading grounds in order to fight from stronger defensive positions.

Three Russian amphibious assault ships in the Sea of Azov were poised to land hundreds of troops near the coastal city of Mariupol. The bulk of Russian tanks and armoured forces were held around 50km (30 miles) north of Kyiv by effective Ukrainian delaying tactics.

Bridges have been destroyed and ambushes launched on armoured columns by Ukrainian forces fighting for their homeland. Russian forces have been operating in the east of Ukraine since 2014’s initial invasion.

But most units will not have fought against well-prepared defensive positions and modern anti-tank weapons, such as the Anglo-Swedish NLAW, 2,000 of which were supplied by the UK in recent weeks.

On Friday, Estonia said it would supply Ukraine with American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles. Such weapons were said to have “neutralised” 15 T-72 tanks in Hlukhiv in the north of the country.

There were reports of clashes in the northern suburbs of Kyiv involving Russian saboteur groups and special forces. There was fierce fighting in the northern city of Chernikiv, close to the border with Russia.

The situation around the former nuclear site of Chernobyl was less clear, although officials attributed the reported increase in radiation levels in the area to be the result of dust kicked up in the exclusion zone by all the extra activity on the ground.

Further afield, around 10,000 Chechen National Guards were due to deploy on Friday to support the invasion. It is unclear precisely how they would be employed in Ukraine but it is thought Russia would deploy them on occupation duties if and when they prevail.