Russia suffering ‘command-and-control’ difficulties in Ukraine, Pentagon says

Senior US defence official says Moscow ‘desperate’ to gain momentum in war

A charred Russian tank sits on the front line near Kyiv. Press Service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces / AFP

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Russian forces are experiencing “command-and-control” problems and are communicating over unsecured channels as they try to gain momentum in the war in Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Monday.

“We do see them having some command-and-control difficulties,” a senior US defence official told Pentagon reporters, citing Russian forces' inability in some cases to integrate air and ground attacks and communicate effectively.

“We are seeing them use a lot more unclassified communications because their classified communications capabilities … for one reason or another are not as strong as they should be,” the official said.

The Pentagon did not confirm Ukrainian reports that five Russian generals have been killed in the war so far but argued that Moscow's logistical difficulties could make their forces more prone to attacks.

The US official said Russia has fired more than 1,100 missiles in Ukraine.

Russia's Defence Ministry on Saturday said it had used a hypersonic Kinzhal missile for the first time in action in Ukraine. The US official said the Pentagon could neither confirm nor refute the use of a hypersonic missile.

“It could be that they're running low on precision-guided munitions,” the official gave as one possible reason Russia could be using hypersonic missiles and dumb bombs.

But at this point in the war and with Russia reportedly not achieving its objectives, the defence official saw Moscow looking for a “break out” moment.

“What we assess is that they are looking for a chance to break out. They are looking for a chance to gain some momentum, not even regain momentum because they never really had it.”

This could lead to intensified bombardments in Ukraine.

“With increased long-range fire and missile strikes, artillery bombardment and trying to encircle a city so that you can lob more long-range fire into those cities, [that] is a reflection of what some people believe is a desperate attempt by them to gain some momentum to try to turn the course of the war,” the official said.

Turning the course of the war could then be used “to improve their position at the negotiating table to get some kind of leverage, because right now it doesn't appear like they have a lot of leverage to negotiate with".

Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that the war is going according to plan and that his forces have achieved their set objectives so far.

The Pentagon said Russia has been increasing its naval activity in the northern Black Sea, though there are currently no indications of an imminent attack on the port city of Odesa.

“The Russians have a little bit more than a dozen warships of different stripes and sizes,” the official said.

That is double the number of warships the Pentagon said Russia had in the area last week.

The Pentagon said Ukraine is still putting up a stiff resistance that has kept air superiority contested as ground forces fend off Russian attacks near Kyiv.