Russian equipment convoy travelling to Kiev stalled – intelligence services
OLENA ROSCHINA — THURSDAY, 3 MARCH 2022 14:3
A column of Russian military trucks and combat vehicles many kilometres long, which has come within 20 miles of Kyiv, "has made no noticeable progress in three days," according to British intelligence.
Source: The New York Times, citing an intelligence assessment released on Thursday by the British Ministry of Defence.
"The convoy, which was seen in several satellite images taken this week, raised alarms among the military experts who saw it as a sign that Russian forces were preparing for a potentially new phase of unrestricted war. But so far, the column seems to have stopped in place."
Analysts believe they are food trucks for soldiers, fuel for vehicles and heavy artillery.
According to the UK, the main part of the column remains about 18 miles (about 29 km) from Kyiv, "lingering due to sustained resistance of Ukrainians, mechanical breakdowns and congestion."
According to Maxar Technologies, which released the images, the convoy stretches for about 40 miles (64 km) along the road from Antonov Airport (Hostomil) north of Kyiv.
But experts warned that the convoy is not a continuous line: some vehicles are located at a certain distance from each other. In some areas, vehicles are moving in two or three separate units.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby gave a similar assessment of U.S. intelligence at Tuesday's briefing, noting that the column north of Kyiv "remained in a dead end". However, he cautioned that it was hard to know exactly why.
Kirby noted that at first it seemed that Russian troops were "regrouping and reassessing" logistical support following the invasion and having encountered resistance from the Ukrainians.
Experts offered several explanations of why the column of equipment is not moving: in particular, bad Ukrainian roads and wet ground.
In addition, it is noted that videos and photos of abandoned Russian armoured vehicles have been posted on social networks, including a series of images published by Ukraine’s armed forces, which allegedly depict an abandoned column of equipment.
