Unconfirmed intelligence is now coming from Western countries that the Russian invasion is not going as planned.

The US intelligence service claims that the Russian forces are frustrated by the resistance they are facing.

"We know they have not made the progress they wanted, especially in the north," a Pentagon spokesman told Reuters.

The British intelligence service also claims that Russia's progress has slowed down, which is believed to be due to logistical problems and a strong Ukrainian defense.

"Tougher resistance than expected"

Mikael Nilsson, associate professor of war science at the Swedish National Defense College, believes that the Kremlin had expected to go further during the first days of the war.

- The resistance has, both on that front and other fronts, been tougher than one might have expected, he says.

A more protracted process can be costly for Russia in several ways, he says.

- For Russia, this is an operation they hope to carry out quickly and with as little loss as possible, and confirm the competence of the Russian military.

The longer it takes, and the bigger losses you get, the more problematic it becomes for the Kremlin, says Niklas Nilsson, associate professor of war science at the Swedish National Defense College.

At the same time, Nilsson emphasizes that the war is not a very early stage.

- That you have taken bigger for and not achieved goals, you should perhaps not pull too big gears on.

The situation may look completely different tomorrow or in a week, he says.

Can deploy more troops

From the Russian side, the image is rather given that they have made a temporary break in the offensive due to trying to get talks with Ukraine.

On Saturday, it was stated that the offensive will be resumed and expanded.

- It is completely rational from the Russian side.

They may have sent in 25-30 percent of the forces at the border so there are very large reserves, says Ilmari Käihkö, associate professor of war science at the Swedish National Defense College.

The fact that Russia has encountered such strong opposition from the Ukrainian people can lead to increased use of force, especially if it succeeds in limiting the opportunities to communicate with the outside world.

- They can use larger weapon systems even inside cities, which would lead to greater civilian losses, says Käihkö.