Thread by @DanLamothe

A Friday background briefing at the Pentagon about the war on Ukraine has concluded.

Some notable details ahead:

First, going to flag two stories I'm involved in that we published this morning.

The first explores the scenario under which Americans are going to join the Ukrainian war effort:

washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

The second details Russian military losses to the extent we can, and what it all means:

washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

On to the briefing. No major changes on battlefield. Mariupol and other major cities are getting pummeled. Fierce ground fighting in several areas, too.

On Thursday, the Pentagon indicated the long-stalled Russian ground convoy north of Kyiv had moved from about 12 miles outside the city center to nine miles away.

No change to that Friday, though there is some movement within the column.

New nugget from Pentagon: A senior U.S. defense official says today that some vehicles in the stalled Russian convoy north of Kyiv have been pulled off the road and into tree lines, an effort to disguise them and hide them from attack.

In light of questions around chemical-biological issues in Ukraine, senior U.S. defense official says the Pentagon has not sent protective gear for that to the Ukrainians. Also not aware of a request for it.

The senior U.S. defense official said Ukraine still has 56 operational jets in its arsenal and has been flying them just five to 10 hours per day. Points to that as one reason the Polish proposal to send Polish MiG-29 jets to Ukraine by way of the U.S. government was scuttled.

The Russian military, by comparison, has been flying about 200 sorties per day, senior U.S. defense official says. Some do not cross into Ukraine, he added, noting the Russians can fire aerial-mounted cruise missiles from planes at Ukraine from the Russian side of the border.

As of Friday, the Pentagon assesses that Russia has launched “nearly 810” missiles at Ukraine since invasion day. “The majority, nearly 400 of these missile strikes,” have been launched from Russian launchers in Ukraine.

Russia still has about 90 percent of the combat power it had arrayed at the Ukrainian border prior to invasion available to them for use, senior U.S. defense official says, indicating thousands of soldiers are dead, wounded or captured.

Ukraine has “a tad more” than 90 percent of its combat forces available, same U.S. defense official says. Important note: Its military is significantly smaller.

Pentagon is aware of Russian rhetoric that they want to recruit 16K foreign fighters from the Middle East to fight in Ukraine. Some efforts are being made in Syria, but it’s unclear if recruiting goes beyond Syria or if they are having success, senior U.S. defense official says.

No additional weapons systems to announce going to Ukraine. Arms deliveries to the Ukrainians continue, defense official says.

. @PentagonPresSec is expected to brief on the record shortly. It'll be streamed here. I'm not threading it. Need to write now and it's more widely available than the backgrounder.

Back to work.

defense.gov/News/Live-Even…

NEW: Here's tonight's story.

Pentagon explores sending Ukraine more advanced weapons after scuttling Polish jet deal

washingtonpost.com/national-secur…