Thread by @DanLamothe

A background briefing at the Pentagon about the Russian war on Ukraine just finished. It’s Day 19 of the war.

Basic takeaways:

I’ll start with the strikes Sunday on the Ukrainian military training center at Yavoriv, near the border with Poland.

A senior U.S. defense official says they were carried out by cruise missiles launched from long-range Russian bombers from Russian airspace.

Note: That’s different than speculation and some reporting yesterday that they were carried out by sea-launched missiles from Russian ships. Those are still quite rare in this war.

“More than a couple dozen” Russian cruise missiles were launched at the training center from aircraft, the senior U.S. defense official says.

He notes that a no-fly zone patrolling Ukrainian airspace would not have stopped this strike.

The Pentagon cannot verify the number of killed and wounded at the training center. The senior U.S. defense official repeats U.S. statements yesterday that no U.S. troops, U.S. contractors, or U.S. civilians in a government capacity were there.

The Pentagon is not clear on whether any Americans there as volunteers for the Ukrainian effort were there. It’s not something they are tracking, the senior U.S. defense official says.

Russian ground advances remain largely stalled, the senior U.S. defense official says. No “appreciable” change on advances on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, etc.

Pentagon still sees no indications of the Russians sending in military reinforcements from elsewhere in Russia, the senior U.S. defense official said.

"Siege mentality" by Russia still playing out, the senior U.S. defense official says. Heavy bombardment of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, etc.

Mariupol and Chernihiv remain under attack and isolated.

Senior U.S. defense official on Russia: "Clearly, they are increasing the amount of long-range fires they are applying to these cities, these population centers that are holding out … They are obviously continuing the bombardment and increasing that, no doubt about it.”

Russia now has 100 percent of the forces it assembled prior to invading committed to the fight. It has under 90 percent of those forces available to them, after taking losses, senior U.S. defense official says.

Pentagon still sees no indications of Belarus sending in forces to join the fight, senior U.S. defense official says.

As of Monday, Russia has launched more than 900 missiles at Ukraine since the beginning the invasion Feb. 24, senior U.S. defense official says.

No change in force posture for the about 5,000 U.S. troops in Poland following yesterday's airstrikes on the Yavoriv military training center just inside Ukraine, senior U.S. defense official says.

Russia still has not achieve air superiority over Ukraine, senior U.S. defense official says. But he couches by saying Russia has not achieved air superiority over "all of Ukraine."

Last week, lawmakers sent a letter to POTUS suggesting Russia had air superiority already.

NEW TONIGHT: U.S. works to keep China on board in Ukraine conflict.

With @AshleyRParker @chicoharlan @catecadell and others

washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/…