Ukrainian Troops Push Russian Forces Back Outside Kyiv, US Official Says

Ukrainian troops are holding off Russian forces in Kyiv and have pushed Russian troops northeast and east back to about 35 miles outside the capital, according to a senior U.S. defense official, Axios reports.

The official also said Ukrainian troops were ''able and willing'' to do so and that Russian troops about 10 miles northwest appeared to be ''digging in'' and establishing ''defensive positions.''

The official said it appears the forces are no longer trying to advance into the city and, in some cases east of Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have been able to push Russian soldiers farther away. The official said Russian forces had been 12 to 19 miles away to the east and northeast and are now about 34 miles away.

The official said that Russian troops are instead exerting more energy and effort in the eastern Donbas region, specifically in Luhansk and Donetsk. The official said the U.S. is seeing Russia prioritize the fight there, in what could be an effort to cut off any Ukrainian troops in those areas and prevent them from moving west to defend other cities.

Ukrainian troopss are continuing to frustrate Russian ground forces.

The report comes two days after an official with the Department of Defense said it was very clear that the Ukrainians were ''showing no signs of stopping their resistance and no signs of slowing down their attacks on the Russians."  

"Credit goes to the Ukrainians and the impressive way that they are defending their cities and their fellow citizens," the official said.  

"They're using the security assistance that gets to them. There's not a long shelf life for this stuff. I mean, it gets into their hands, and they use it. They are being very energetic and very aggressive in the defense, and I think the lion's share of the credit must go to them and to their leadership," the official said.  

The Russians, he added, are losing armor and artillery, as well as aircraft, helicopters, jets and other vehicles, and suffering casualties every day.

"We continue to see a risk aversion by a lot of Russian pilots inside Ukrainian airspace," the official added.  

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

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