"Russian forces are likely completing preparations for an assault to seize Kyiv"

[bluewater]

Russian forces are engaged in four primary efforts at this time:

Main effort—Kyiv (comprised of three subordinate supporting efforts);
Supporting effort 1—Kharkiv;
Supporting effort 1a—Luhansk Oblast;
Supporting effort 2—Mariupol; and
Supporting effort 3—Kherson and advances westward.
Main effort—Kyiv axis: Russian operations on the Kyiv axis consist of a main effort aimed at encircling the city from the northwest, west, east.

Main effort—Kyiv axis: Russian operations on the Kyiv axis consist of a main effort aimed at encircling the city from the northwest, west, east.

Russian forces are likely completing preparations for an assault to seize Kyiv from the east and west within the next 24-96 hours. The Russians are setting conditions for the attack by concentrating supplies and reinforcements, attempting to advance and stabilize their lines, and attacking the city with air, artillery, and missile fire likely intended both to demoralize and to damage Kyiv’s defenders. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on March 6 that the Russians have started accumulating the resources they would need to storm the capital.[1] The General Staff noted that Ukrainian forces retain a coherent defense of the city at this time.[2]

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7

The heroic Ukrainian armed forces are like a rubber band that is getting stretched to its breaking point.
The reason President Zelensky sounds so desperate in his pleas for more assistance is because things simply are that desperate.

[Tomconroy]

1. Only American air power can stop him.

[uponit7771]

4. Air power isn't making a big difference in UKR its the shelling we need to give them anti artiliery

... equipment but are afraid it'll fall into Russian hands.

Turkey is flooding them with drones, that's helping a lot better than 100 million dollar jets cause the drones don't need airports just grassy land

[dalton99a]

10. +1. The Ukrainians have zero to little protection against Russian rockets and missiles

[4139]

6. 1,500 anti-tank missiles would, and Ukraine has received 17,000 in the last week

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/06/us/politics/us-ukraine-weapons.html

Guessing 2/3 would miss their target, 500 hits would stop the advance

[Tomconroy]

7. Zelensky is continually asking for a no fly zone. The anti tank weapons will

Not prevent what Putin is about to do to Kyiv.

[Happy Hoosier]

2. I hope there is a javelin at every street corner. NT

[Otto_Harper]

3. Javelins will not be the best countermeasure

I am assuming that the first thing the Soviets (2.0) will do is a withering artillery bombardment. Very little left standing to defend or even crouch behind.

A flight of A-10 Warthogs would certainly even things up quite a bit.

[Happy Hoosier]

5. We'll see what they do.

Kyiv is a big city and they do not have the kind of artillery forces the Soviet army had in 1945. They can do a lot of damage though. But to take the city and hold it, they have to enter it. That's where they get bloodied. Hopefully.

[sky_masterson]

8. It seems to me that the Ukrainians can attack the Russians

from behind. Since their attention and guns are facing toward the city

[dalton99a]

9. Looks like Putin will bombard Kyiv into submission.

[obamanut2012]

11. The source is a hawkish "non partisan" group that really isn't

And who is funded by the military–industrial complex. It may be right, but I would filter this through a barrel of salt first. And, her husband works for American Enterprise Institute.

[localroger]

13. Yes, contrast with other articles from more credible sources

Where OP sees large areas of land under Russian control, others see thin columns of Russian military hardware with their supply chains stretched to the breaking point and inadequate resupply of resources like food and fuel. Moreover these columns haven't advanced significantly in days, reinforcing the conjecture that if they try for much more they may break entirely and open themselves to being overrun by UKR defenders.

[Buckeyeblue]

12. The Russians capturing Kyiv will be a huge political liability

For EU leaders and President Biden. Most people will not take a long or nuanced view of this situation. They will only see the rubble and the bodies. And they'll say, why didn't the world prevent this?

I might be one of those people. I'm not going to vote for Republicans but it will make me disappointed in the world.

But, hey, I'm constantly disappointed in the world. I expect most people on DU are as well.