Russian forces stalled 15 miles outside Kyiv; U.S. Sending Soviet Air Defense Systems It Secretly Acquired to Ukraine; Musk’s Starlink satellites helping Ukraine drones destroy Russian tanks; Shock Casualty Statistics Would Spell Disaster for Russia/Putin, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

By admin On Mar 21, 2022

Russian forces stalled 15 miles outside Kyiv as shelling of the city continues: UK intelligence

Amid heavy fighting north of Ukraine’s capital city, the “bulk” of Russian forces remain stalled about 15 miles outside the center of Kyiv, according to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense.

In the British Ministry of Defense’s latest intelligence update on Monday, it said Russian forces heading toward Kyiv from the northeast have stalled and that forces advancing from the northwest “have been repulsed by fierce Ukrainian resistance.” The bulk of Russia’s forces remains 15 miles north of Ukraine’s capital.

However, Kyiv remains a priority for the Russian army, and efforts to take the capital could escalate soon, the intelligence update warned.

“Despite the continued lack of progress, Kyiv remains Russia’s primary military objective and they are likely to prioritise attempting to encircle the city over the coming weeks,” the Ministry of Defense added. —>READ MORE HERE

U.S. Sending Soviet Air Defense Systems It Secretly Acquired to Ukraine:

The Pentagon over the years has acquired Soviet equipment as part of a clandestine program, and now such weapons are going to Ukraine

The U.S. is sending some of the Soviet-made air defense equipment it secretly acquired decades ago to bolster the Ukrainian military as it seeks to fend off Russian air and missile attacks, U.S. officials said.

The systems, which one U.S. official said include the SA-8, are decades old and were obtained by the U.S. so it could examine the technology used by the Russian military and which Moscow has exported around the world.

The weapons are familiar to Ukraine’s military, which inherited this type of equipment following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the U.S. decision to reach into its little-known arsenal of Soviet weapons, which comes as the Biden administration is mounting a major push to expand Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.

The U.S. over the decades has acquired a small number of Soviet missile defense systems so that they could be examined by U.S. intelligence experts and help with training American forces.

The secretive efforts received public attention in 1994 when a Soviet-made transport plane was observed at the Huntsville, Ala., airport within sight of a major highway. It was later disclosed that the plane was carrying an S-300 air defense system that the U.S. had acquired in Belarus as part of a clandestine project involving a Pentagon contractor that cost $100 million, according to a former official involved in the mission.

The S-300—called the SA-10 by NATO—is a long-range, advanced air defense system intended to protect large areas over a much wider radius. The SA-8 is a short-range, tactical air defense system designed to move with ground forces and provide cover from aircraft and helicopters. While the SA-8 has a shorter range, it is highly mobile and potentially easier to hide. —>READ MORE HERE

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