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After 3 months, Russia still bogged down in Ukraine war

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, it had hoped to overtake the country in a blitz lasting only days or a few weeks. Many Western analysts thought so, too.

As the conflict marked its third month Tuesday, however, Moscow appears to be bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition, with no end in sight and few successes on the battlefield.

There was no quick victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin's powerful forces, no rout that would allow the Kremlin to control most of Ukraine and establish a puppet government.

Instead, Russian troops got bogged down on the outskirts of Kyiv and other big cities amid stiff Ukrainian defenses. Convoys of Russian armor seemed stalled on long stretches of highway. Troops ran out of supplies and gasoline, becoming easy targets.

A little over a month into the invasion, Russia effectively acknowledged the failure of its blitz and pulled troops back from areas near Kyiv, declaring a shift of focus to the eastern industrial region of the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.

To be sure, Russia has seized significant chunks of territory around the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed eight years ago. It also has managed to cut Ukraine off completely from the Sea of Azov, finally securing full control over the key port of Mariupol after a siege that prevented some of its troops from fighting elsewhere while they battled diehard Ukrainian forces.

But the offensive in the east seems to have bogged down as well, as Western arms flow into Ukraine to bolster its outgunned army.

Russian artillery and warplanes relentlessly pound Ukrainian positions, trying to break through defenses built up during the separatist conflict. They have made only incremental gains, clearly reflecting both Russia's insufficient troop numbers and the Ukrainian resistance. Russia recently lost hundreds of personnel and dozens of combat vehicles while trying to cross a river to build a bridgehead.

'œThe Russians are still well behind where we believe they wanted to be when they started this revitalized effort in the eastern part of the country,'ť Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Friday, adding that small towns and villages were changing hands every day in the Donbas.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces have methodically targeted Western weapons shipments, ammunition and fuel depots, and critical infrastructure in hopes of weakening Kyiv's military and economy.

But in trying to gain ground, Russian forces have also relentlessly shelled cities and laid siege to some of them. In the latest example of the war's toll, 200 bodies were found in a collapsed building in Mariupol, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday.

The Kremlin appears to still harbor a more ambitious goal of cutting off Ukraine from the Black Sea coast all the way to the Romanian border, a move that would also give Moscow a land corridor to Moldova's separatist region of Transnistria, where Russian troops are stationed.

But Russia seems to know that this objective is not currently achievable with the limited forces it has.

'œI think they're just increasingly realizing that they can't necessarily do all of it, certainly not at one go,'ť said Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads Sibylline, a strategic advisory firm.

Moscow's losses have forced it to rely increasingly on hastily patched-together units in the Donbas that could only make small gains, he said.

'œIt's a constant downshifting of gear toward smaller objectives that Russia can actually achieve,'ť Crump said. 'œAnd I think on the biggest scale, they've actually downsized their strategy better to match their their ability on the ground.'ť

Two top officials appeared to acknowledge Tuesday the advance has been slower than expected. Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said it 'œis not chasing deadlines,'ť and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the pace was deliberate to allow civilians to flee, even though forces have repeatedly hit civilian targets.

Many in Ukraine and the West thought Putin would pour resources into the Donbas to score a decisive triumph by Victory Day on May 9, when Moscow celebrates its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Russia has falsely called the war a campaign to 'œdenazify'ť Ukraine - a country with a democratically elected Jewish president who wants closer ties with the West.

Rather than a massive campaign, however, the Kremlin opted for tactical mini-offensives, aimed at steadily trying to encircle Ukrainian forces.

'œThe Russian leadership is urging the military command to show at least some gains, and it has nothing else to do but to keep sending more troops into the carnage,'ť said Mykola Sunhurovskyi, a military expert at the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank.

Many in the West expected Putin to declare a broad troop mobilization, with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace saying he might do it on Victory Day. That never happened, with Russia continuing to rely on a limited force that was clearly insufficient.

A massive mobilization would likely foment discontent in Russia, fuel antiwar sentiment and carry political risks. Authorities opted for more limited options, with lawmakers drafting a bill to waive the current age limit of 40 for those willing to sign up for the military.

The lack of resources was underlined last week by an abrupt Russian withdrawal from areas near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city that has been bombarded since the war began. Some of those forces apparently were redeployed to the Donbas, but it wasn't enough to tip the scales.

'œThey really had to thin out the troops they had around Kharkiv, simply because they're trying to hold to too much of a line with too few troops,'ť said Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

The Donbas fighting has increasingly become artillery duels, and 'œit might go on for quite a long time without much movement in the lines," he said.

'œSo it will be a more of a positional battle at that point, O'Brien added, with success going to whoever "can take the pounding.'ť

Ukraine, meanwhile, continues to get a steady flow of Western arms, including U.S. howitzers and drones, tanks from Poland and other heavy gear that is immediately sent into combat.

'œUkraine's plan is simple and obvious - wear down the Russian forces in the nearest months as much as possible, win time for receiving Western weapons and training how to use them, and then launch a counteroffensive in the southeast,'ť said Sunhurovskyi, the Kyiv-based military expert.

He said Ukraine hopes to receive even more powerful Western weapons, such as U.S. HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, anti-ship missiles and more potent air defense weapons.

Russian hard-liners warn that Moscow can't win if it doesn't conduct a large mobilization and concentrate all of its resources in a decisive attack.

Igor Strelkov, a former security officer who led the separatists in 2014, denounced what he described as the Kremlin's indecision, saying it could lead to defeat.

'œFor Russia, the strategic deadlock is deepening,'ť he said.

Ukrainian authorities are increasingly emboldened by the slow pace of the Russian offensive and growing Western support. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed last week that pushing the Russians back to pre-invasion positions would represent a victory, but some aides declared even more ambitious goals.

Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine isn't interested in a cease-fire 'œuntil Russia is ready to fully liberate occupied territories,'ť a bold statement that appears to reflect hopes for reclaiming the Donbas and Crimea.

Russia, meanwhile, apparently aims to bleed Ukraine by methodically striking fuel supplies and infrastructure while grinding out military gains. The Kremlin may also hope the West's attention will shift elsewhere.

'œTheir final hope is that we will lose interest completely in the conflict in Ukraine by the summer,'ť Crump said. 'œThey're calculating the Western audiences will lose interest in the same way as Afghanistan last year. Russia thinks that time is working in its favor.'ť

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Danica Kirka in London, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Ukraine, contributed.

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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

FILE - Cars pass by destroyed Russian tanks in a recent battle against Ukrainians in the village of Dmytrivka, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, May 23, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Firefighters work to extinguish a fire on a warehouse amid Russian bombardments in Kharkiv, Ukraine, April 23, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Damage is seen on apartment buildings after shelling from fighting on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, in territory under control of the separatist government of the Donetsk People's Republic, March 29, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Galyna Bondar, mourns next to the grave of her son Oleksandr, 32, after burying him at the cemetery in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 16, 2022. Oleksandr, who joined the territorial Ukrainian defence as a co-ordinator was killed by a gunshot by the Russian Army. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Damaged and burned vehicles are seen at a destroyed part of the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, as smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal during heavy fighting, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 18, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File) The Associated Press
FILE - A local woman embraces a serviceman of Donetsk People's Republic militia near a damaged apartment building in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 26, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Emergency services are working in the area following an explosion in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 28, 2022. Russia struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shortly after a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday evening. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Destroyed houses are photographed in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 30, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) The Associated Press
FILE - The bodies of unidentified men, believed to be Russian soldiers, arranged in a Z, a symbol of the Russian invasion, lie near a village recently retaken by Ukrainian forces on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, May 2, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File) The Associated Press
FILE - A Ukrainian serviceman works during the exhumation of killed Russian soldiers' at their former positions near the village of Malaya Rohan, on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, May 18, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko, file) The Associated Press
FILE - Vehicles are on fire at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, 15 km (94 miles) east of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, May 4, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight.(AP Photo, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol during shelling, in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, May 7, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Maksym, 3, is photographed with his brother, Dmytro, 16, on top of a destroyed Russian tank, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, May 8, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Relatives of servicemen who died during the Russian Special military operation in Donbas pose for a photo holding portraits of Russian soldiers killed during a fighting in Ukraine after attending the Immortal Regiment march through a street marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Sevastopol, Crimea, May 9, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Relatives react next to the body of Oleksandr Pankratov, 49, a Ukrainian military serviceman who was killed in Donetsk province, during his funeral in Lviv, Ukraine, May 14, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, file) The Associated Press
FILE - The remains of a destroyed Russian helicopter lie in a field in the village of Malaya Rohan, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, May 16, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Ukrainian servicemen sit in a bus after they were evacuated from the besieged Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, near a remand prison in Olyonivka, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, May 17, 2022. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday, May 21, 2022, Ukrainian servicemen line up to be checked as they leave the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) The Associated Press
FILE - A Russian soldier walks inside the Ukraine's Azov Regiment base adorned with the unit's emblems in Yuriivka resort settlement on the coast of Azov Sea not far from Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, May 18, 2022. The Azov Regiment, is part of Ukraine's National Guard. This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Russian troops walk in a destroyed part of the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, May 18, 2022. This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. (AP Photo, File) The Associated Press
FILE - A Russian soldier guards an area at the Alley of Glory exploits of the heroes - natives of the Kherson region, who took part in the liberation of the region from the Nazi invaders in Kherson, Kherson region, south Ukraine, May 20, 2022, with a replica of the Victory banner marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II right in the background. The Kherson region has been under control of the Russian forces since the early days of the Russian military action in Ukraine. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. (AP Photo, File) The Associated Press
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