U.S. Says Ukrainians Keeping Demoralized Russians at Bay

British and U.S. defense officials claim Ukrainian forces are stymieing the Russian invasion for the moment—with minimal shelling over the last day and soldiers unable to advance on new cities. “Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities,” the U.K. Ministry of Defence said, although it noted that Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mariupol remain surrounded by Russians. The U.S. Defense Department said in a statement that “Ukrainians are putting a lot of effort into defending Kyiv as you would expect them to do” and there are “anecdotal indications that Russian morale is flagging.” Despite the assessment, Ukraine has seen devastation this week, including the bombing of a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of people, including children, were sheltering.