Thread by @DanLamothe

A Thursday background briefing at the Pentagon about the war in Ukraine has concluded.

Notable updates:

Pentagon acknowledges "heavy bombardment" by Russia of numerous cities. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, etc.

Mariupol is still in Ukrainian government control.

Russians are now "just outside" Kharkiv.

There is a “clear willingness” to hit Ukrainian civilian targets, including government infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv, senior defense official says.

That amid obvious verified of attacks circulating on social media.

A senior U.S. defense official says that 90 percent of Russia’s combat power pre-staged at the Ukrainian border is now in Ukraine.

That’s up from about 82 percent Wednesday, 80 percent Tuesday, and about 75 percent Monday.

Russia has now launched more than 480 missiles at Ukraine in the invasion, senior defense official says. That’s up from 450 Thursday.

The Pentagon, w/ limited visibility of the battlefield, is not confirming whether cluster or thermobaric munitions are being used by Russia.

No Russian cruise missiles launched in last few days, after a salvo early in the invasion. Other options available now, obviously.

New detail: Pentagon assesses that the majority of those missiles launched at Ukraine have come from Russian units inside Ukraine. More than 230 of the 480 missiles launched overall, official says. More than 160 launched from Russia. 70+ from Belarus. About 10 from the sea.

Ukraine remains armed with small arms, Javelins, anti-tank weapons and air defense weapons.

Pentagon has no indications that Ukraine has laid IEDs to stop Russian troops, senior defense official says. That’s something that some American lawmakers have advocated.

Russian advances in south appear most pronounced. It’s possible they could move on Mykolaiv, a city of more than 470,000, senior defense official says.

Doing so could assist in positioning Russians to take the port city of Odessa (Watch for amphibious operations there, too).

Ukrainian officials said earlier today they were moving to "counter-offensive." Senior defense official says that in general, that would indicate an effort to go after the enemy's resources.

President Zelensky still has command of Ukrainian forces, the senior defense official says.

The Pentagon sees it as “incredibly noteworthy” and commends his bravery.

Ukrainian airspace remains contested, senior U.S. defense official says.

He attributes Russia's inability to take the skies over to both creative Ukrainian defenses and "Russian misapplication" of their resources and a risk aversion to losing Russian assets.

Russia having fewer logistical problems in the south, where they can draw on resources in Crimea, senior U.S. defense official says.

On nuclear issues, no major changes.

"It's still not completely clear to us what that direction meant," senior U.S. defense official says of Putin alerting nuke forces. "We continue to watch this very, very closely as you might imagine."