Military & Defense

US defense official says Russian forces have 'made no progress' toward seizing Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers walk near the front line in Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022.
Ukrainian soldiers walk near the front line in Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd
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Russian forces have made "no progress" toward seizing the Ukrainian captial of Kyiv as Russia's more-than-month-long war with the eastern European country trudges on, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday. 

"They've made no progress in moving towards Kyiv, they've made no progress elsewhere in the north, whether its Chernihiv or Kharkiv," the anonymous official told reporters, according to CNN

The official explained that the Russian invasion has largely stalled in multiple parts of Ukraine.

There have been "no changes" to the situation in the cities of Mariupol, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, or Kharkiv, the official said, CNN reported. 

In the besieged city of Mariupol, Russian troops continue to use "long-range fires," however, "they have not been able to take Mariupol," the official said, according to the news outlet. 

Additionally, Russian forces "aren't making any advances on Mykolaiv over the course of the weekend," the defense official noted, "so they are outside the city."

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's war against Ukraine on February 24. 

In the weeks since the invasion, Russian troops have surrounded and shelled several towns across the country, hitting multiple civilian buildings, including residential towers, hospitals, and a theater.

The US defense official told reporters on Monday that Russian forces have launched more than 1,370 missiles in Ukraine since the war started. 

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Natalie Musumeci
Natalie is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Business News team covering the AI and data center boom.She was previously on BI's Legal Affairs team, where she handled major cases coming out of state and federal court, as well as bankruptcy. Her coverage often focused on stories at the intersection of law, business, politics, and technology. Natalie has covered Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the wave of lawsuits against the second Trump administration, the indictment and criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the legal battles facing Elon Musk and his companies. Natalie came to Business Insider in June 2021 as a breaking news reporter, focusing on the most interesting angles on the day's trending news. Natalie largely drove BI’s coverage around the fatal “Rust” shooting involving Alec Baldwin and the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.Prior to joining BI, Natalie worked for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and The Brooklyn Paper. She has an extensive background covering crime and courts. During her more than 12-year journalism career, she did a stint covering the police beat out of the New York Police Department's headquarters. Natalie, a Brooklyn native, graduated from Brooklyn College in 2012 with a degree in journalism.