Russia still 'stalled' in Ukraine's north, 'heavy' shelling in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv: US defense official

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A senior defense official on Thursday said the U.S. continues to believe that Russian forces in the north of Ukraine are "stalled," while other cities in the country remain under "heavy" shelling. 

Ukraine has endured over a week's worth of bombardment by Russian troops, but Ukrainian forces continue to hold off major Russian advancements. 

Destroyed building in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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"We continue to see them resist and defend their territory and their resources quite effectively," the senior defense official said. 

Roughly 90% of Russia's 150,000-strong force – built up along Ukraine’s border in the lead up to the invasion – is  believed to have entered Ukraine from the north, east and south.

Despite repeated efforts by Russian forces to make it to Kyiv, a 40-mile-long convoy headed straight for the capital city has been stalled for three days.

Reports have surfaced suggesting that everything from weather to mechanical errors have halted its progress and Russian troops remain roughly 15 to 20 miles outside of Kyiv.

"We certainly believe it is their intent to encircle the city from multiple directions," the senior defense official said. The official noted that Putin’s troops have not made significant advances in encroaching on the city. 

However, they warned that just because Russia is advancing at a pace slower than originally believed "doesn't mean that they aren't making any progress."

Heavy shelling has hit cities like Chernihiv and Kharkiv, located in the north of Ukraine, and over 480 Russian missiles have been levied throughout the country – hitting Ukrainian military points, government buildings and residential areas. 

Ukrainian soldiers are seen near the recently collapsed bridge which was the target of a Russian missile, near the town of Irpin, Ukraine on March 3, 2022. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

It remains unconfirmed how many deaths have been caused by the invasion, but the United Nations said that during the first five days of fighting 227 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 525 injured.

Casualty numbers remain conflicted, however. 

Ukraine's State Emergency Service on Wednesday claimed that at least 2,000 Ukrainians had been killed, while the foreign ministry alleged that more than 5,800 Russian soldiers have perished. 

Moscow alleged that roughly 500 Russian troops had died so far, along with 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers and "nationalists."

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But it is not just the northern regions of Ukraine that are taking a beating.

The city of Kherson, a Black Sea port that sits roughly 75 miles north of occupied Crimea, was reportedly invaded by Russian troops Wednesday, according to the city's Mayor Igor Kolykhayev.

Roughly 300 people are believed to have been killed during the invasion and Kolykhayev said many of the bodies were rendered unrecognizable due to Russia's high-powered weapons.

The U.S. senior defense official on Thursday said the U.S. could not "independently" confirm whether Russian forces had officially taken the city but noted that Russian troops in the south have not met the same "challenges" as those in the north.

"They launched these offenses in the south out of Crimea, where they have been occupying for eight years," the official said, noting that Russia already had built up infrastructure and a force presence in the region.

Ambulance paramedics attend to a wounded in shelling civilian in a maternity hospital converted into a medical ward in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Russian forces have seized a strategic Ukrainian seaport and besieged another.  (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Russian troops have also advanced on Mariupol in the southeast, but officials believe it remains under Ukrainian control.

The strategic port city of Odesa also remains free from Russian control.

"Ukrainian air missile defense systems remain intact and they remain effective. They continue to be able to fly their airplanes and to employ air defense assets," the official said. 

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But the defense official also warned that Russia’s slow advances are not necessarily an indication of a weakening Russian force. 

"They are still drawing on that combat power," the official said. "But just because they're drawing more on it every day, you should not take away from that, that their combat power is being diminished to such a point, inside Ukraine, that they feel like they're running out of juice."

Dom Calicchio contributed to this report.