Pentagon Report: Russia Seeks To 'Decapitate' Ukrainian Government

San Diego CA

24 February, 2022

6:50 PM

Description

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego February 24, 2022 Russian forces are in the initial phase of the invasion of Ukraine and attacking through three corridors, a senior defense official said on background Thursday in a report posted on the Defense Department website. The report said there is fighting within 20 miles of the center of the capital Kyiv, as well as fighting around the eastern city of Kharkiv and in the southern part of the country. "These three axes are … clearly designed to take key population centers," the official said. "It's our assessment that [Russian forces] have every intention of basically, decapitating the government and installing their own method of governance, which would explain these early moves towards Kyiv," the official said. The assault started in darkness early Thursday with a Russian missile barrage of around 100 intermediate-range, short-range and cruise missiles, the official said. Missiles came from the land, sea and air. The Russians used roughly 75 fixed-wing, heavy and medium bombers as a part of their assault. The targets were primarily military bases and air defense nodes. The official had no estimate of casualties. Following these attacks, Russian land forces moved into Ukraine. The official said Ukrainian forces are resisting the invasion and fighting back but would not give specifics. However, a widely shared Facebook post showed smoke from a downed helicopter and a burning Russian tank after attacks by Ukrainian forces armed with U.S.-made weapons. There were also reports that Ukrainian forces shot down several Russian helicopters and that a transport plane crashed. The Pentagon official was able to give more specifics on U.S. forces that are being moved to the Eastern flank of NATO to reassure frontline states. Six F-35 stealth fighters will arrive in Estonia, Lithuania and Romania later Thursday. Apache helicopters deploying to the Baltic republics and Poland from Germany and Greece are experiencing some weather-related problems, but should arrive shortly, the official said. Ukrainians are already fleeing their country and the official said there has been an increase in the number of people crossing Ukraine's borders into Western countries. The official said Russian President Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine even as diplomatic options remained. This article was compiled from a report posted on the Defense Department website and other news reports. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.