Putin maintains 95% of available combat power in Ukraine as war persists: DOD official warns

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained roughly 95% of his combat force in Ukraine as fighting continues, a senior defense official confirmed Tuesday. 

U.S. defense officials believe that Putin has pushed roughly all the 150,000-strong combat force he amassed along Ukraine’s border into the former Soviet nation.

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A joint funeral takes place at Lychakiv cemetery for two soldiers who died during recent fighting, on March 8, 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

But even with reports of stalled forces, mechanical errors, and fuel and food shortages, the vast majority of Russian forces remain intact – including surface-to-air missile and artillery capabilities.

"He still has a lot of combat power available," a senior defense official warned. 

The official said that despite Russia’s continued advances, the "vast majority" of Ukrainian forces also remain operable. Though the official noted Ukraine lacks the "physical numbers" that Russia maintains. 

Russia has yet to gain air superiority and Ukraine continues to combat Russian missiles that have bombarded cities across the nation.

Roughly 670 missiles have been levied at Ukraine, half of which are still coming from Russia while the other half have been launched by Russian forces in Ukraine, Belarus, Crimea and from naval vessels on the Black Sea.

Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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Russian forces remain stalled in their attempts to take Kyiv from the north of the capital city, but forces advancing from the northwest and northeast have made some progress, the senior defense official said.

"We still have every reason to assess that their effort is to encircle to enforce the surrender of Kyiv," the senior defense official said. "And even as they have not made the geographic progress that we think that they believe they would – they have stepped up … the bombardment of the city through a mixture of a missile and rocket and artillery fire."

Russian forces have entered Ukraine from the north, east and south in an attempt to encircle Kyiv and overthrow the democratically elected government, officials have warned.

Ukrainian soldiers walk on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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But despite entering the country in what experts anticipated would be a relatively quick takeover, Ukrainian forces have held off Russian troops for nearly two weeks.

"There is still a stiff Ukrainian resistance," the official said, adding, "They are making generally more progress in the south than they are in the north."