Russian Move On Kyiv Is Stalled - US has indications that some Russian Units have surrendered

[kpete]

* RUSSIAN MOVE ON KYIV IS STALLED, OFFICIAL SAYS

* U.S. HAS INDICATIONS THAT SOME RUSSIAN UNITS HAVE SURRENDERED WITHOUT A FIGHT, U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=t2ORr-qeqR4-Tcmbx_HG5w

NEW: Russia's 40-mile long tank, artillery, and supply convoy moving toward Kyiv has mostly "stalled," per a senior U.S. defense official.

"We don’t believe that it is making a lot of progress," the official said, partly due to supply troubles.

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=KVE0oymN2vhYuh-fO92hzg

***********

UPDATED FOR MORE INFO:
Solid thread from this morning’s briefing:

About 80 percent of the combat power that Russia prestaged at the Ukrainian border is now committed to the war, up from just under 75 percent Monday, and the Russians are shelling Kyiv, the senior U.S. defense official said. We've seen many reports of that from the ground.

There are indications that Russian forces are "regrouping" after their haphazard operation so far hasn't yielded the results they expected. They continue to deal with fuel shortages, and the senior U.S. defense official said food shortages have come up, too.

The 40 mile-long column of Russian tanks and combat vehicles that has been spotted in satellite imagery has “stalled” north of Kyiv, the senior U.S. defense official said. Several possible reasons for it, and it could be more than one of them.

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=9LwO4WS2u_W5cTZfKmAatQ

Link to tweet

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Link to tweet

?s=20&t=9LwO4WS2u_W5cTZfKmAatQ

[honest.abe]

1. OMG! Please be true!!!

[JohnSJ]

13. Yes. I really hope it's true

[L. Coyote]

45. Doubtful. First, it is NOT a 40-mile-long convoy, it was 3.5 miles long when parked two days ago.

They were 40 miles from Kyiv when it was parked and 3.5 miles long. When it began moving it stretched out some 17 km. Details here:

Russian military convoy stretches over 17 miles north of Kiev.

Second, there is a lot of "fog of war" being used intentionally and unintentionally.

They are staging north of Kiev. The latest satellite images I've seen place them near the Antonov airport.

[left-of-center2012]

68. Washington Post says it's 40 miles long

From today, March 1st

"a convoy of tanks, troop carriers and artillery
more than 40 miles long threatened Kyiv"

"A 40-mile-long column of Russian tanks and combat vehicles has “stalled” north of Kyiv, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/01/russia-ukraine-war-putin-news/

[L. Coyote]

84. They are wrong. This started with a bad translation of "40 miles from" Kyiv,

which was correct when the first satellite images showed the 3.5 mile long group parked ENE of Ivankiv. They have moved to north Kyiv outskirts now.

[left-of-center2012]

90. link ?

Otherwise I'm going with the network news shows from this morning
and the Washington Post.

[Wingus Dingus]

2. WTF is going on?

God I hope so.

[Irish_Dem]

24. That is what I am saying, WTF is going on.

[Wingus Dingus]

29. Every day I cringe to

open the news to see what's going on in Ukraine, and then cheer for them, and then feel bad for them, and then feel dread for them...the flow of information is bewildering.

[Irish_Dem]

34. From a military standpoint, nothing is making any sense.

This should have been an easy military operation for Putin.
I don't know how he screwed it up so badly.

But I am glad he did.

Yes it is all a horrible roller coaster ride of emotions.

[leftieNanner]

37. I read an article in the past week (forget where)

That says Putin doesn't know how to fight a war like this. He has always done "special ops" kind of things. He's a KGB guy. He knows how to drop in a few saboteurs, blow something up (shock and awe?), and then call it a win.

He was not expecting Ukraine to fight back so hard. Plus his military henchmen are all toadies. The effective (read: anti-corruption) leaders have all been purged for insufficient loyalty. (Does that sound like someone we know?)

I'm glad to see that Ukraine is strong.

[Irish_Dem]

50. He should have had military intel telling him enemy capability,

combat readiness, motivation, etc.

This is standard operating procedure. So either Putin has terrible intel assets or he didn't listen to them.

Also if Putin doesn't know how to fight this kind of war, he should have looked to his generals to advise him. Hitler was notorious for not listening to his generals and look how that worked out.

Yes he is just like Trump. Only wants yes men around him.
This is not the way to win a war.

But it is such good news for Ukraine.

[AllyCat]

69. I am always wondering this too. How is this so messed up?

When I first heard the war had started, I thought Russia? Against Ukraine? This’ll be over in a day.

Thankfully, that has not happened. But I also wonder why?

Are Russian soldiers getting there and saying 0 haaailll no? Saboteurs? Ukraine is really just THAT good? I figured the first wave was the B string and the miles-long tank convoy the A string. Maybe not? Maybe Russia really doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to make this work even when there aren’t any sanctions?

[TomSlick]

76. You have the issue correctly.

Like TFG, Putin's advisors will be hesitant to bring him bad news and he only listens to people who are saying what he wants to hear.

[Piasladic]

39. my emotions are all over the place

I don't get why you think it should have been an easy military operation.

Invading a country is never easy.

[oldsoftie]

52. Because Putin was delusional enough to believe they WANTED him there.

[Irish_Dem]

62. Didn't he listen to his military intel? The man is acting psychotic.

[oldsoftie]

64. Quite possible that they wouldn't tell him what they knew he didn't want to hear.

[Irish_Dem]

67. Same thing Hitler did and we know how that ended.

[oldsoftie]

72. HA!

[Irish_Dem]

57. Putin held all the cards. He had the advantage of a big military presence.

Had Ukraine surrounded. Their military was inferior.

Putin could have taken down all the communication systems. Gone in with special ops and killed or kidnapped all civilian and military leaders.
Bombed military assets.

Then used air power to bomb the big city infrastructure. Also used artillery to do the same.

Once Kyiv fell and Zelensky and his generals were gone, the country most likely would have surrendered.

If Putin had good intel he would have known ahead of time about local resistance and planned accordingly.

I agree, invading a country is never easy, but Putin did a lousy job of it.
He had tactics he could have used and didn't. But then threatens nukes.
So he goes from doing nothing to nukes. None of it makes sense.

[Piasladic]

74. +1

War is not my strength, but you laid it out.

Do you really think he might use nukes over this? Does he have enough say to do that even if he wanted to?

[Irish_Dem]

87. We don't know what he will do. But he is capable of using nukes.

A cornered sociopath and narcissist can be quite dangerous.

On the other hand Putin has always been a high functioning sociopath in that he always knew just how far he could go without the world coming down on him. But he is now cornered. Also if the rumors are true about his poor health, he may feel he has nothing to lose. Also rumors that he is on steroids point to an increase in violent behavior and reduced judgement.

Putin is also somewhat of a laughing stock in terms of his dismal military operation, and that may goad him into doing something foolish.

We also don't know what his inner circle is doing, how they are feeling right now. Hitler's inner circle tried to kill him on a number of occasions but were never successful.

I don't know if Putin's inner circle is loyal to him or to Russia and the Russian people. If the latter perhaps they will try to keep nuclear codes, etc away from Putin.

Biden has obviously had excellent CIA and military intelligence from day one, he knew the score about Putin early on. So I am assuming Biden has some of the answers to our questions.

Biden is in a very difficult situation. Obviously the world cannot allow Putin to do whatever he wants to do because he is threatening to use nukes. The world cannot cower in fear. However Biden does not want to blow up the world.

I have confidence in Biden. He will not tolerate a bully for long. But he is a prudent, responsible professional who will listen to advice and take action that is sensible. But he will not shy away from a fight if that is what is needed.

One thing that often works with a sociopath is giving him a face saving out. Make him feel like he won something. That might work with Putin.
Give him part of Ukraine, etc. On the other hand do we want to reinforce his very bad behavior?

I am glad I am not Biden right now.

[Irish_Dem]

58. Yes emotionally this is seriously disturbing, and we are all over the map.

[Warpy]

71. They had Ukraine nearly surrounded

and an overwhelming military campaign that didn't outrun its supply lines might have done it. I fully expected their military to do what they were told and simply overrun Ukraine. Now it's all looking really hamfisted and the outcome is no longer certain.

It's the peace I know damned full well they have no way of winning.

[Irish_Dem]

88. Yes it was a very shoddy military action.

Putin could have gone in and made significant gains quickly.
He now looks totally incompetent and foolish.

But yes Russian should prevail in the end.
Unless of course they keep screwing up.
Cannot get supplies to the troops and cannot pay them.

[Warpy]

93. They can't overcome the initial screwup, that of invading in the first place.

Ukraine will eventually kick them out again.

This is the lesson that the last 70 years has to teach us, one I wish Washington DC would learn, also.

[Irish_Dem]

94. At this point, I cannot predict what will happen. Too many moving parts

which are changing by the hour.

Two hours ago I said Putin would prevail in the short term. Now all bets are off. But yes I agree, Ukraine would win the long term war against Putin.

Right, unless we win our own war against Putin in the US and do it soon, we are going to lose our democracy. Putin's takeover of the US is part of why he felt invincible and could take over Europe. Putin owns half the US congress and the media. And he is helping the GOP establish an autocratic form of government, with corrupt US politicians and oligarchs.

Maybe we need to be like Ukraine and start fighting back.

[calimary]

96. YEEEEESSSSS!!!

WHEN????? How soon?????

Shouldn’t we have been fighting back ALREADY???? Like when the Russian puppet was “President”?

Or even before that???

LONG before that.

[Irish_Dem]

99. Zelensky is showing us the way. He is using PR and words to beat Putin.

He is literally winning a war using WORDS. I have never seen anything like it.

We need to follow suit and start fighting back.

Americans are naive and in denial. We do not know how dangerous Putin is and what it is like to live under a corrupt autocratic rule. The Ukrainians do know and that is why they are fighting tooth and nail.

Yes we should have been fighting back all along.

Putin owns half the congress, the media and a past sitting president who is still shilling for Putin.

[COL Mustard]

55. As bad as it is for the average Russian soldier (who we used to call Ivan)

Imagine if they'd attacked NATO like this. What we thought would be a slaughter of our troops would likely have been a slaughter of theirs. Our log trains are much better than theirs, and I won't even get into the qualitative overmatch we have in terms of armored vehicles.

[Irish_Dem]

61. It would have been a wholesale slaughter of Russian troops.

Last edited Tue Mar 1, 2022, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

The troops we didn't kill would have starved or frozen to death.

I just cannot believe that Putin did not plan for supply lines.

Putin looks like a foolish bumpkin. A laughing stock.

My Aunt Fanny could have done a better job of planning a war.

[COL Mustard]

82. I'm all for laughing at him

Humiliating him, degrading him, whatever it takes to get him away from their nuclear arsenal. Which concerns me a great deal.

[Irish_Dem]

89. Unfortunately the more he feels humiliated, the more he might reach for nukes.

A narcissist cannot tolerate criticism or shame. And a sociopath could care less about killing large numbers of people.

[WarGamer]

98. Exactly!!

[electric_blue68]

63. Hooo,boy yeah...

🙂🎢😮🎢😔🎢😭🎢😥🎢😬🎢😬🎢😔🎢😥🎢🙂

[Jerry2144]

3. Let's hope

The Russian troops find their humanity

[JasonMain]

12. I heard on NPR that...

Some captured Russian troops weren’t actually aware they were invading Ukraine and that they thought they were still just taking part in military exercises along the border.

[NJCher]

92. I heard that, too

If this is the case, I think we have to look at the possibility that Putin thought he could either bluff his way into a surrender from the Ukrainians or the idea that he thought he could carry the entire mission off in about 3 days.

Nukes? What have you got left after nuking the place? I giant cleanup operation. It's bad enough that Chernobyl is still not considered safe.

[treestar]

43. I was encouraged regarding the ones who said

they "didn't want to kill anybody." That shows they are not brainwashed and their heart is not in it. They don't want it on their conscience.

[Jerry2144]

44. I saw that too

I really do hope more and more of their troops realize what they’re being tasked to do and basically tell Putin to phuck off.

That’s what I mean by finding their humanity.

[Stuart G]

4. Time Will Tell...(opinion- I don't think "Time" is on Putin's side).

............Over "Time" , Time decides most if not all battles !

.............Thank You for This Post...K & R..........

[2naSalit]

18. True!

He, putler, has already gone far beyond his alleged window of opportunity. This will be his Iraq if he doesn't either back off or die.

The good part is that Europe is super unified in this and will probably defeat him sooner than later. There are ways that are usually unacceptable but will soon become necessary (et tu Brute?). I think it will come to that before the end of the month.

[Jerry2144]

46. Beware the Ides of March

Wanna be Ceasar

[PortTack]

5. One can hope

Russia is having a terrible time with resupply. They think they are going to starve out the Ukraine’s, they have to have supplies to do it

[Irish_Dem]

25. Right the plan would be to starve out Kyiv and hit it with artillery.

To make them surrender.

I have no idea why it is taking so long to do simple military procedures.

[ck4829]

6. Ordered to kill people and you don't know why, eating ancient rations, pay is worth less than sand

I'd surrender too.

[gab13by13]

14. Pay is really worth squat,

the ruble was worth less than a penny last night.

[Irish_Dem]

26. So the Russian soldiers are working for free. Risking their lives, etc.

[Marius25]

32. Yup.

Meanwhile, Zelensky gave all Ukraine soldiers a big raise, he's offering 10 years worth of Russian salaries to troops who surrender, and Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland and survival - way more incentive and motivation than what Russians have.

What do these Russian troops get if they win? They go home to the new version of North Korea - a completely collapsed state where they won't be able to afford bread soon.

[Irish_Dem]

35. There will be nothing left for them to fight for.

Yes the cards are being stacked against Putin.
Thank God.

[oldsoftie]

56. Thats a great point. That news should somehow be given to the Russian troops

"Wait, my pay is worthless?"

[haele]

28. I suspect that Ukrainian tech and PR folks have been texting the Russian kids

On their cell phones with offers of real money, warm tea, food and a place to stay out the conflict, and regular calls home to mom if they walk to the nearest police station and give up.

The amount of scrap military grade metal Ukraine has been collecting can pretty much pay for that offer.

Haele

[Botany]

7. The Russian Troops know that if they are inside any vehicle that a javelin missile has it's #, ....

.... that they were lied to about this war, and if reports are correct many of them are starving.

[JasonMain]

8. Perfect time to send in the drones.

[Nevilledog]

9. ...

Link to tweet

[yellowcanine]

10. Looks like disinformation. "U.S. Official says" And no link.

Reuters cited but there is no Reuters link saying this that I could find.

[uponit7771]

16. +1, but it works for our side to get messaging back to Putler. No DOUBT he's watching US media

... and if there are videos that show up they'll be pissed en masse.

Putler will lash out like a petulant child ... AGAIN

[honest.abe]

17. This guy works for ForeignPolicy.com which I believe is legit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Policy

[dchill]

20. However, if they WERE making progress...

... wouldn't they be there by now?

[L. Coyote]

48. They are there now, we've tracked their movements in satellite images. Plus ....

Link to tweet

[Captain Zero]

54. Yeah I heard Kyiv is 2 hours from border.

So they should be there already. (??)

[Moosepoop]

38. Reuters link here:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-move-kyiv-stalled-now-may-be-rethinking-approach-us-official-2022-03-01/

[IronLionZion]

49. WaPo link

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/01/russia-ukraine-war-putin-news/

US intel/defense is monitoring all of it. There is only so much they can share with the public.

The US military logistics machine is better than anyone else's. A big part of our massive defense budget is getting stuff where it needs to go fast. Russia can't supply their troops nearly as fast as we can.

[oldsoftie]

59. Absolutely. And the Russians don't care about 'comfort" of their troops.

I remember popup Burger Kings within miles of the front lines in Iraq

[AllyCat]

73. I found it...Dan Lamothe from WaPo. Military reporter

From Pentagon press briefing I think.

[sarisataka]

11. Good news but

[gab13by13]

15. Boy, that's an old dirty trick.

[housecat]

30. doesn't even be so high tech bc plain dirt will do it

[mopinko]

19. this aint the kind of war you can send underfed conscripts into and expect to win.

and am i the only one who finds it fucking unconscionable that they lying to these f'ing children?

when they were reporting this morning that it was still almost 20 mi (?) i wondered what was happening. as nerve wracking as the pics of that convoy have been, what must it be like to be sitting in it? they have to know they are gonna take heavy losses.

[Kaleva]

66. +1

[Wicked Blue]

21. Transcript of Pentagon briefing at this link

https://turonzamin.com/2022/03/01/pentagon-press-secretary-john-f-kirby-holds-a-press-briefing-u-s-department-of-defense-transcript/

[Raven]

22. The Russian ruble is rubble...not worth a damn. How would have thought

that the Russian peasant troops not being fed or paid would trump (pardon the pun) the oligarchs not being able to vacation in the islands.

[temporary311]

23. With Russia being a kleptocracy,

I wonder how much of their supply turned out to only exist on paper, and how much ended up funding offshore bank accounts.

[dalton99a]

33. +1. Thievery is a feature at all levels

[Tree Lady]

27. I heard they are offering money to soldiers

If they surrender. Makes me wonder if some are taking them up on it. Ukraine is using donated funds to pay them. Its a way the world can help without causing WW3.

[qazplm135]

31. Wow

The ineptitude is staggering

[OMGWTF]

42. We are lucky AF they're inept; just like Traitor Tot is inept at most things.

It could have been much worse for us and the world if Traitor Tot was actually competent.

[Vinca]

36. I wish that would be the case. There is no more reason for Russian soldiers to die than there

is for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians to die. Russian troops were fed a bullshit fairy tale about Nazis and drug dealing and are now coming to realize it was, indeed, bullshit. They'd be wise to surrender because destroying a country previously at peace is not worth dying for.

[dflprincess]

40. I have nothing but respect gir Russian troops

who refuse to participate in war crimes and surrender without firing a shot.

[panfluteman]

41. Let's Face It - Putin Is the Only One Who Really Wants to Fight This War.

And that's why Russian troops are surrendering. Nothing is in it for them. It's Putin's war, not Russia's - and every Russian knows that.

[TeamProg]

47. Thanks for posting. n/t

[oldsoftie]

51. "Logistics". The difference between a "click" & a 'bang".

Along with; "An army runs on its stomach"

[lindysalsagal]

53. Yes! The WAPO headline confirms it:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Farc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost%252Es3%252Eamazonaws%252Ecom%2Fpublic%2F7TNQ4XGQJVGO5CQNCXLMUDS4RI%252Ejpg&w=496&h=279

Convoy ‘stalled’ north of Kyiv, Pentagon says, as Russians appear to regroup

By Isabelle Khurshudyan, Steve Hendrix, Rachel Pannett, Amy Cheng, Ellen Francis, Timothy Bella, Marisa Iati and Brittany Shammas
Today at 12:01 a.m. EST|Updated today at 12:55 p.m. EST

DNIPRO, Ukraine — Russian forces, frustrated by the tenacious defense of major cities by Ukrainian soldiers and ad hoc civilian militias, gathered menacing strength Tuesday, as a projectile appeared to strike near Kharkiv’s administration building and a convoy of tanks, troop carriers and artillery more than 40 miles long threatened Kyiv.

A senior U.S. defense official said later on Tuesday that the convoy north of Kyiv had “stalled.” The Russians appeared to be regrouping six days into their invasion while dealing with fierce resistance and fuel and food shortages.

Kharkiv remains under Ukrainian control but is “surrounded” by Russian troops, Mayor Ihor Terekhov told The Washington Post. In Kyiv, residents are bracing for an all-out assault as the Russian force, under the command of a president whose country has quickly become an international political and economic pariah, is apparently preparing to encircle the capital. A senior U.S. defense official said the Kremlin seems ready to adopt the same siege tactics that are beginning to strangle Kharkiv.

There, thousands are without power and heat in freezing temperatures, local officials said, and residents braced for more shelling Tuesday. Suspected cluster munitions struck residential parts of Kharkiv on Monday, raising fears that Russia could use tactics similar to those employed in Chechnya and Syria, where it has been accused of war crimes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack on Kharkiv was “terror against the city.”

[FakeNoose]

60. Awesome

Prayers for Ukraine

[uponit7771]

75. What about the surrendering part? thx in advance

[lindysalsagal]

79. Sorry. I don't know. I posted the whole article.

[honest.abe]

65. More from Reuters

"One reason why things appear to be stalled north of Kyiv is that the Russians themselves are regrouping and rethinking and trying to adjust to the challenges that they've had," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The Russians have been surprised by some of the morale problems that they're experiencing and I think they're none too pleased about the logistics and sustainment challenges they've had," the official said, without providing evidence.

As the invasion entered its sixth day, Russia had launched more than 400 missiles on Ukrainian targets so far but did not control any major cities or have complete control of the skies over Ukraine.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-move-kyiv-stalled-now-may-be-rethinking-approach-us-official-2022-03-01/

[Wingus Dingus]

78. Morale problems will be "solved" in some unpleasant ways, I'm guessing.

These guys don't want to be there, but they're also not going to get to go home.

[Kaleva]

80. They could bring back the NKVD attitude adj. battalions

If the Russian conscript didn't attack the enemy with enthusiasm, they would get executed by the NKVD.

[Wingus Dingus]

81. That's probably on some of their minds, if they know their own history.

[honest.abe]

86. Beatings will continue until morale improves

[blue-wave]

70. Either surrender or

the Ukrainians should throw everything they have against that convoy. Attack the forward position then the rear position. Block them in and ask for surrender again. If they don't surrender, proceed as before. Over and over.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

77. Zelensky's office says they've been shelling elements of that convoy force. Per statement made

a couple of hours ago. A dire situation, but the Ukrainians seem to be on top of it. The more immediate concern appears to be in the south around Kherson and Mariupol. Desperate fighting to hold their cities.

[jmowreader]

83. Here's my suspicion at this point

We know the Russians and Ukrainians have the same equipment - it’s basically old Soviet equipment and both countries were Soviet republics. Putin seems to have decided to just capture the ammunition, food, fuel and medical supplies he needed to prosecute the war as they advanced.

He did NOT count on his troops being unwilling to fight, there not being any materiel to capture, or farmers stealing his MT-LBs out from under his troops. Nor did he expect the entire population taking up arms against him.

[JCMach1]

95. Not precisely, Turkish drones and other NATO help were deciding factors in Putin

'going big' on the invasion. He had a small window to get it done as Biden and NATO had been majorly reinforcing the Ukrainian army since Fall.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-envoy-says-turkey-made-drones-helping-fight-against-russia-2022-02-27/

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-699010

[Jarqui]

85. My fear is the Russians will bomb the heck out of the civilians

They have long range artillery and rockets that can be fired from Russia.
Those are very tough for the Ukrainians to defend against.

It isn't going to be the quick war Putin was hoping for.

[samsingh]

91. I so hope this is true

i hope that convoy is destroyed

[lpbk2713]

97. "Eff this $hit"

... says the non-motivated cannon fodder.