Pentagon Signals Drop in Russia’s Invasion Power

Service members of pro-Russian troops are seen atop of a tank during Ukraine-Russia conflict on the outskirts of the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 20, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has lasted nearly a month but Moscow’s forces remain stalled, said a Pentagon official on Tuesday.

“We have assessed, for the first time, that the Russians may be slightly below a 90 percent level of assessed available combat power,” a senior Department of Defense official told reporters, according to a transcript released by the agency.