Sec. Austin says Russian campaign in Ukraine ‘stalled,’ Putin’s strategy feeds troops in ‘wood chipper’

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s marketing campaign in Ukraine is “stalled,” U.S. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin mentioned Sunday, categorizing Moscow’s technique as feeding their very own troops into “a wooden chipper.”

“Their maneuver forces on the bottom are primarily stalled,” Austin mentioned Sunday throughout an look on CBS’ “Face The Nation.” “It is had the impact of him transferring his forces right into a wooden chipper. , the Ukrainians have continued to attrit his forces, and so they’ve been very efficient, utilizing the tools that we offered them, you recognize, and armor weapons and plane weapons.” 

Austin, who just lately returned from a visit to Bulgaria and Slovakia, mentioned Putin has not been in a position to obtain his objectives as quickly as he anticipated, so he’s resorted to focusing on cities, cities and civilians extra closely. 

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Western officers and analysts mentioned the battle in Ukraine has resorted to a warfare of attrition, with Russia bombarding cities. Ukrainian officers defiantly rejected a Russian demand that their forces in Mariupol lay down their arms and lift white flags Monday in change for secure passage out of the besieged port. The rejection got here after Ukrainian officers mentioned an artwork college the place some 400 folks had been taking shelter hit by an airstrike, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to vow to “shoot down the pilot who dropped that bomb.”

Reacting to Russian claims that their troops used hypersonic missiles no less than twice in Ukraine thus far, Austin mentioned he didn’t view the transfer as a “recreation changer,” as a result of from his perspective, Russian forces having suffered heavy casualties could be utilizing a lot of these weapons to desperately reestablish momentum. 

Austin additionally confirmed that the U.S. has heard from “a lot of sources” that Russia is sending in “reinforcements” of Kremlin-backed mercenaries into Ukraine, stressing they haven’t seen Russian mercenaries on battlefields thus far. Although he didn’t title a particular group of mercenaries, his remarks got here after the Predominant Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Protection of Ukraine warned one other group of Wagner Group started arriving in Ukraine on Sunday with orders from Putin to eradicate Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Andriy Ermak, Zelenskyy’s chief adviser. 

Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks with U.S. troops, Friday, March 18, 2022 at an Military coaching vary in Bulgaria.  Austin was in Bulgaria to satisfy with U.S. troops and to seek the advice of with prime Bulgarian authorities officers.  
((AP Picture/Robert Burns))

Requested if he anticipated Russians escalating to deescalate, probably utilizing nuclear weapons, Austin mentioned “any rhetoric regarding a use of a nuclear weapon may be very harmful,” however asserted he was assured in america and NATO’s capabilities and talent to defend themselves. 

The Biden administration has warned the Russians would possibly resort to utilizing chemical or organic weapons in Ukraine and doing so would represent a warfare crime. In the meantime, Putin just lately delivered a chilling speech claiming the U.S. backed laboratories in Ukraine by the Russian border are creating bioweapons – one thing the U.S. has categorically denied – and now China is repeating Moscow’s speaking level. 

“I believe if a chemical or organic weapon was used, you’ll see a big response from not solely america, but additionally the worldwide neighborhood,” Austin mentioned. “I believe what we have seen from the Russians prior to now is that they’re elevating points and making a pretext in order that in the event that they did one thing within the battle house, they might blame it on any individual else, both Ukrainians or us, NATO.”

Within the final two weeks, the U.S. has already offered over $300 million value of apparatus to Ukraine, and the $800 million just lately signed off on by President Biden will deliver the whole to over to $2 billion when it comes to the quantity of safety pressure help, Austin mentioned. The U.S. and allied forces have been coaching Ukrainian troops since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, so Austin burdened, “not solely have we offered them tools, however they had been prepared to make use of that tools as soon as we offered.” 

The Related Press contributed to this report.