RUSSIAN CONVOY TO KYIV STALLED 

                                …This is a photo of the Russian Convoy heading toward Kyiv.

Richard Engel of MSNBC risks his life every day reporting on the attack on Ukraine

Richard Engel of MSNBC has said on live TV that there were tanks in the 40-mile-long convoy in Ukraine running out of diesel.  Also, that the Ukrainians fighting Russia had come across tanks and personnel carriers that had been abandoned with opened, uneaten food containers that were 5-6 years old.  The convoy has slowed down in its quest to take over the capital city, Kyiv.

Photos and reports of the 40-mile-long convoy of Russian military vehicles winding its way toward Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv may in fact now be outdated.  According to a Reuters report, the U.K.’s defense ministry issued a “military intelligence update” early Tuesday morning claiming that the “Russian advance on Kyiv has made little progress over the past 24 hours probably as a result of continuing logistical difficulties.”

The update it goes on: “Russia has failed to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine prompting a shift to night operations in an attempt to reduce their losses.” 

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg told reporters this morning that “We will protect … every inch of NATO territory.”

Reuters also reported this morning and quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who said that the West “must not build military facilities in any countries of the former Soviet Union.” Russian news agencies RIA and TASS also report that Lavrov said that the Russian government “found it unacceptable that some European countries hosted U.S. nuclear weapons and Russia was taking measures to prevent Ukraine from acquiring similar weapons.”

Crypto exchange called Binance has rejected a Ukranian request to block all Russian user accounts. However, according to a report from CNBC, the Binance exchange will block the accounts of any Russians “who have been sanctioned.” A Binance spokesperson told CNBC: “We are not going to unilaterally freeze millions of innocent users’ accounts. Crypto is meant to provide greater financial freedom for people across the globe. To unilaterally decide to ban people’s access to their crypto would fly in the face of the reason why crypto exists.”

In explaining the Russian convoy’s lack of progress: "some of it has to do with their own sustainment and logistics," some of it is also due to the Ukrainian resistance. 

The official said that the U.S. has observed that there are "some morale problems" in some parts of the Russian military, as they face not just fuel and food problems, but greater resistance than anticipated.   A significant number of Russian troops in Ukraine are conscripts, typically young men without much training or knowledge when it comes to combat operations.  The official could not confirm reports that any Russian troops have defected, or that any have intentionally run out of gas.

Discussing weapons capabilities, an official could not confirm reports that Russia was utilizing cluster munitions, although the U.S. had seen video footage meant to support such a claim.  What the official did say was that Russia has "launcher systems that could be used for a thermobaric weapon," although they could not confirm the use or presence of such a weapon.

Here are some comments from some observers of the attack on Ukraine by Russia:

• A long line of stalled vehicles sounds like good target practice. I wouldn't try to get them all. Take out say every fifth one in a way that hinders advancing or retreating. I don't know anything about military tactics, but I know how difficult it can be to untangle traffic accidents.

• Ukraine has president that was a former comedian who handles himself like a true President and political leader.  America has a President and career politician who handles himself like a comedian.

• Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin are on a plane. Merkel finds $100 on the floor of the aircraft and says: "I will throw the money out of the aircraft and make 1 person happy.” Putin interrupts her, stating that if they split the $100 bill into two $50 bills, they can make 2 people happy.

• Biden’s tweet from 2020: “Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be President. He doesn’t want me to be our nominee. If you’re wondering why — it’s because I’m the only person in this field who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him.” 

• When the Russians get out of their tanks and approach a grocery store they will be shot at from every direction. People have hidden their food supplies by now and the Russian army cannot be going door to door to find a bag of potatoes, especially with all those Ukrainian Molotov cocktails blowing up.

More reports soon on the attack on Ukraine by Russia.

Copyright G. Ater 2022