US says Russia has fired 480 missiles at Ukraine since invasion began

WASHINGTON — US officials say Russia has fired 480 missiles at Ukraine as Russian troops make more progress in the south, but are largely stalled in the north.

The official says about 90% of the Russian combat power that had been arrayed around Ukraine is now in the country.

Specifically, the official says the majority of the Russian missile launches since the war began — or more than 230 of them — are coming from mobile systems within Ukraine. More than 150 missiles have been fired from within Russia, more than 70 from Belarus, and only a very small number from ships in the Black Sea. Ukrainian air defenses are still intact and have been effective against the missiles, the official says.

The official, who speaks on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments, says Russian progress in the south has been aided by the country’s eight-year presence in Crimea, where Russia has built infrastructure and systems to sustain troops. As a result, the supply lines to troops in the south are much shorter and more effective.

The official says the US has not seen any Russian naval activity or other appreciable moves by Russia to move on Odesa. He said he is not challenging Ukrainian reports of activity there, but that the US can’t independently confirm them. He adds, however, that the US believes that Russia’s goal may be to move past Kherson to Mykolayiv in order to set up a base of operations there that they can then use in a move to encircle and take Odesa.

The US also assesses that Russian forces are just outside the city of Kharkiv, close to the ring road, the official says.