America: 90% of the Russian crowd enter Ukraine... and Kharkiv is the next target

A Pentagon official revealed, Thursday, that Russian forces are on the outskirts of Kharkiv, the second largest Ukrainian city, confirming the number of missiles fired by Moscow from multiple fronts.

The official confirmed that the bombing continues on Kharkiv.

With regard to other Ukrainian cities, the official indicated that the Russian forces are trying to advance and isolate Mariupol and that the city is still under the control of the Ukrainians, while he said that it is not possible to confirm the fall of Kherson under the control of Moscow.

And Ukrainian officials had said, on Wednesday night, Thursday, that Russian forces had managed to control the city of Kherson, according to AFP, while another US official confirmed earlier Thursday that the authenticity of those reports could not be confirmed. 

The Pentagon official estimated that 90% of the forces that Russia amassed on the border are now inside Ukraine.

He pointed out that the military convoy outside Kyiv is still halted and the Ukrainian resistance impeded its progress.

He also noted that "the Ukrainian defense system is still operating effectively and the Russians have not yet controlled the Ukrainian airspace."

With regard to missiles, the official confirmed that Russia "fired more than 480 short and long-range missiles," adding, "We cannot confirm the use of cluster bombs, and we cannot confirm the presence or use of vacuum (thermal) bombs."

He said that most of the missiles "about 230 missiles" were launched from inside Ukrainian territory and 160 from Russia, while about 70 missiles were launched from Belarus and less than ten missiles were launched from the Black Sea.

The official pointed out that the Russian forces "are still, for three days, about 25 kilometers north of Kyiv," the Ukrainian capital.

He said that the Russian progress "is halted in the north" of Ukraine, adding, "The Russians in the south do not face the obstacles that they face in the north, because they depend on the resources of the Crimean front on the southern front."

The official stressed that the United States continues to "provide Ukraine with intelligence and weapons to deal with various threats, including land and air," and said that "Russian forces target civilian facilities and infrastructure to weaken the government."

With regard to China, the official explained that it "sends conflicting messages about Ukraine, and we see no signs of its willingness to condemn Russia and impose sanctions on it, like the international community."

The official expressed concern about the safety of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stressing, "We are in contact with him while he is still in control of his forces. We commend his courage and steadfastness in Kyiv."

Zelensky had warned Western countries against the fall of his country into the hands of Moscow, noting that this would mean that the Balkan countries "up to the Berlin Wall" would be "next".

The Ukrainian president called on Western countries to raise military support for his army, noting, at a press conference Thursday, that he would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin, because it was "the only way to stop the war."

The death toll from the Russian raid on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has risen to 22.

The city's emergency service said 22 people died Thursday when Russian forces bombed residential areas, including schools and a high-rise apartment building in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.

Pictures released by the service showed plumes of smoke rising from the heavily damaged apartments, as debris strewn across a yard and rescuers carried bodies on stretchers, AFP reported.

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