Thread by @jseldin

NEW: NO progress for #Russia advance elements NW of #Kyiv - still about 15km from city center, per senior US defense official

BUT official says support elements are moving closer

#Chernihiv "is isolated & under increasing pressure" per senior US defense official

#Russia forces getting closer to #Kyiv from the east - now about 20-30km away, per senior US defense official

#Russia forces "closing in' on #Kharkiv, per senior US defense official

"We're seeing more reports of internet outages there" per official, "Lot's of fighting"

#Ukraine putting up stiff resistance

#Mariupol - "We continue to see heavy bombardment there" per senior US defense official

#Ukraine, "they're fighting back" per official

#Russia forces have not yet taken #Mykolayiv, per senior US defense official

#Russia has taken #Kherson, official adds

US confirms #Russia targeted airfields in #Lutsk & #IvanoFrankovsk in western #Ukraine with long-range fires, per senior US defense official

"Obviously they anted to eliminate the ability of the Ukrainians to use these airfields...don't know what the damage is" per official

Now up to almost 810 #Russia missile launches vs #Ukraine since start of conflict, per senior US defense official

Nearly 400 "have been fired from inside Ukraine" per official

Almost 400 from inside #Russia

80 from #Belarus

6 from #BlackSea

#Russia convoy to #Kyiv - "We do not blv the convoy has made any progress in linking up with other elements" per senior US defense official

Some vehicles have moved off the road and into the treelines "to try to better disguise the vehicles"

US aware of #Russia recruiting efforts in #Syria - "We haven't seen any indications their recruiting efforts have borne fruit" & led to the arrival of any forces, per senior US defense official

#Russia not moving in Russian reinforcements to #Ukraine - "We have not seen any indications, any tangible indications that they are trying to plus up their manpower from elsewhere [in Russia]" per senior US defense official

NEW: #Russia displaying a "general risk aversion" and not all of Russia's 200 sorties are flying into #Ukraine, per senior US defense official says

Some are avoiding Ukraine air space, firing cruise missiles into Ukraine Russian airspace

#Russia challenges in #Ukraine due to Ukraine's stiff, determined & creative resistance-"They are being adaptive & nimble...almost a hit & run kind of a style here" per senior US defense official

#Russia intel also failed on anticipating #Ukraine's will to fight

"We don't believe they figured that out" per senior US defense official

#Russia-"This is not a military that has great expeditionary capability & experience" per sr US defense officials "Nothing on this scale"

Russian air/ground ops still struggling w/coordination

Official adds even amphibious landings took place where no one would shoot back

#Ukraine making good use of #drones vs #Russia

"They're using them w/terrific effect, especially against Russian ground movements" per senior US defense official

#Ukraine air defenses - "They are making the caution of the #Russia|n pilots warranted" per senior US defense official

Notes #Kyiv only flying 10-15 sorties per day, relying on other tools/weapons

CORRECTION-#Ukraine flying 5-10 sorties a day, per US official

US cannot confirm any effort by #Russia to recruit mercenaries from #Africa to fight in #Ukraine, per senior US defense official

#Ukraine's air force - has about 56 fighter jets still operational, per senior US defense official

Notes Ukrainian forces flying only 5-10 sorties a day and have been relying on other weapon systems

US volunteers, vets wanting to go to #Ukraine - "You shouldn't be going" per senior US defense official

"There are other ways to help"

#Russia's repeated allegations abt a bio/chemical weapons attack - "This harping ... could be building some sort of pretext for a false flag event" per senior US defense official

"We think it possible this is the play their going to try to make...we don't have more details"

Potential for #Belarus to be drawn into war in #Ukraine

"They just haven't been drawn in" per senior US defense official "We just haven't seen it"

"We continue to urge Americans not to go to #Ukraine for any reason" per senior US defense official

Any Americans in #Ukraine should leave, official says

"We continue to flow security assistance to #Ukraine...as fast & as much as we can" per senior US defense official

Says another shipment on its way in nxt 24 hours

US helping to coordinate supply efforts to #Ukraine by 14 other countries, too, "for as along as we possibly can" per senior US defense official

Says efforts focused on air defense & anti-armor as far as munitions, as well as ammo, etc

"We're not vetoing" another nation giving aircraft to #Ukraine, per senior US defense official re #Poland-#Mig29s

"Given the SAM coverage [Russia] have over the country...It makes little sense to us that additional fixed-wing aircraft are gong to solve all these problems"

No indications any security assistance meant for #Ukraine has fallen into #Russia|n hands, per senior US defense official

No signs of Russia targeting weapons shipment so far

"No indications" #Russia-#China collaborating on disinformation campaigns "at least nothing organized" per senior US defense official

re: #Beijing repeating #Moscow's claims, "parroting the Russian line" on bio/chem weapons

#Ukraine

#Ukraine using drones for surveillance/recon & delivery of munitions, per senior US defense official

#Russia|n forces are in the NW suburbs of #Kyiv, per senior US defense official

From NE towards Kyiv, Russians "still bogged down in #Chenihiv", per official