Russian operation against Ukraine struggles at this point

 Red States:

As RedState reported earlier on Friday, Vladimir Putin’s plan to overtake Ukraine is not going particularly well. The four-pronged attack has stretched supply lines thin and weakened Russia’s ability to strike the decisive blow it was looking for. Specifically, plans to take the capital city of Kyiv have fallen well short of expectations and the resistance there now represents a huge problem for Russian forces staring a bloody urban conflict in the face.

Multiple airborne assaults meant to take the city have been rebuffed since the invasion began, and Ukraine has now struck a major blow on that front, downing an Il-76 transport plane. With a capacity of 126 paratroopers and every reason to believe it was full, the number of deaths for Russian forces continues to far surpass pre-invasion estimates.
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Indeed Russia has been stunned by Ukraine's air defenses.

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"We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected," the official said in a press briefing. “We also assessed that Russia has yet to achieve air superiority over Ukraine. Ukrainian air missile defense systems are still viable. They still have air missile defense capability, including aircraft, not just missile defense, but they also have aircraft in the air that continue to engage and deny air access to Russian aircraft."

Russia has grown frustrated with its lack of progress, and the march to Kyiv "is going slower than the Russians had anticipated it going" despite the country's military might, a senior defense official said on Friday.

While Kyiv has been under attack since Friday, the city has not fallen under Russian control. Residential areas in Kyiv have been hit by missiles, but it's not clear whether the strikes on residential areas were intentional, an official added.
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Over two dozen countries have additionally pledged to continue giving aid to the people in Ukraine, with the Netherlands vowing to supply 200 Stinger missiles, which are known to help bring down helicopters. Ukraine has launched an impressive effort to strike down Russian helicopters, with the country claiming it downed five of them on its own.
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I do not think the Russians expect4ed such a determined fight.   The President of Ukraine has refused to take Biden's offer of rescue saying he wants bullets and not transportation.  He is showing much more courage than Trudeau in Canada who went in hiding with the truckers showed up.

China appears to be the only country that supports the Russian move and that is because it plans a similar move agianist Taiwant.

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