A Month Of War In Ukraine, U.S. Defense Office Says Russia's Combat Strength Drops Below 90 Percent

Illustration of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - Russia's fighting power in Ukraine has fallen below 90 percent of pre-invasion levels, for the first time since its offensive began February 24, a senior US defense official said on Tuesday, pointing to heavy weapons losses and rising casualties.

The United States estimates Russia mustered more than 150.000 troops around Ukraine before the February 24 invasion, along with enough planes, artillery, tanks, and other weapons for its full-scale attack.

"For the first time they may be just under 90 percent," a US defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity. The official provided no evidence.

Nearly a month into the war, Russian troops failed to capture a major city and their advance had been halted on almost all fronts by Ukrainian forces. Moscow instead turned to bombarding cities with artillery, missiles, and bombs.

Most of the bombing was focused on the southeastern city of Mariupol. A senior US official said Russian Navy forces may have fired at Mariupol from the Sea of Azov over the past 24 hours.

"That didn't happen yesterday," the official said.

Illustration of a convoy of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru)

Russia has not officially updated its casualty figures since saying on March 2, some 498 soldiers were killed and 1.597 others injured.

However, his attacks have since met with further heavy resistance from the Ukrainian army and volunteer defense forces.

Separately, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan estimated Tuesday the Russian casualty toll was in the thousands but declined to give exact figures.

As the conflict takes its toll, the United States has warned Russia may seek help from China. However, the White House said on Tuesday it had not seen evidence of China providing military equipment to Russia.

US officials advise there is no indication Russia will withdraw additional supplies to Ukraine.

"But we continue to see indications that they are having these discussions and that they are making such a plan both in terms of supply as well as reinforcement," the official said.

President Putin's attack on Ukraine has forced more than 3.5 million people to flee, brought Russia's unprecedented economic isolation as Western countries imposed sanctions, and raised fears of a wider conflict in the West that was unthinkable for several decades.

President Putin called the conflict a special military operation, to demilitarize Ukraine and replace its pro-Western leadership.