Russian forces in Ukraine are facing “considerable challenges” and are likely suffering from “weakened morale”, according to British defence chiefs.
The Ministry of Defence made that assessment in a tweet released on Saturday as part of a daily report it provides on the Russian invasion.
It says Russia “still faces considerable challenges in fighting”, adding that Russian forces have “been forced to merge and redeploy depleted and disparate units from the failed advances in northeast Ukraine”.
Analysts believe Russian forces that failed to take Kyiv at the start of the war have been redeployed without the time needed to properly rearm and restaff.
The update stated that Russia hopes to reorganise its effort and shorten supply lines.
The ministry added: “A lack of unit-level skills and inconsistent air support have left Russia unable to fully leverage its combat mass, despite localised improvements.”
It comes as Russian forces launched a missile attack on a residential high-rise and another building in Kyiv, despite its retreat from the region in early March.
Ten people were wounded, one of them losing a leg, authorities said.
The missile strike came barely an hour after Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky held a news conference with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The United Nations accused the Russians of showing their contempt for the organisation by bombing the city at the same time a UN leader was visiting.
“This says a lot about Russia’s true attitude toward global institutions, about attempts of the Russian leadership to humiliate the UN and everything the organisation represents,” Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s forces, meanwhile, fought to hold off Russian attempts to advance in the south and east, where the Kremlin is seeking to capture the country’s industrial Donbas region.
Artillery fire, sirens and explosions could be heard in some cities.
A senior US defense official said the Russian offensive is going much slower than planned in part because of the strength of Ukrainian resistance.
