Ukraine: Why did the 64 km-long convoys of Russia's army stop moving towards Kyiv?

Posted on 4th Mar 2022 by rohit kumar

Britain's Defense Ministry says a huge convoy of Russian forces moving towards the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has barely advanced in the past few days. It is said that this convoy is 64 kilometers long.

 

But US defense officials say Russia still wants to besiege Kyiv, which has a population of 3 million, and capture it if necessary.

 

Satellite photos of this convoy were revealed on February 28, after which it was feared that an attack was going to happen soon.

 

But British and American officials say that perhaps due to logistical reasons, that is, due to logistics or goods-related problems, the convoy is being hindered.

 

In an intelligence update on Thursday morning, Britain's Defense Ministry said the convoy had "moved very modestly over the past three days" and was 30 kilometers from Kyiv.

 

Why did the convoy stop?

 

There may be several reasons that may explain why this huge convoy, consisting of many armored vehicles, tanks, and other military equipment, stopped moving towards the capital.

 

These include, in addition to logistics problems, unexpected resistance from Ukraine, and the low morale of Russian troops.

 

According to the British government, the problem is coming due to mechanical breakdown i.e. the breakdown of vehicles and jamming.

 

Apart from this, the supply of food and fuel is also said to be limited. It is also being said that poor quality and maintenance tyres are also causing problems.

 

General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of Britain's Joint Military Command, said: "There are huge problems with the logistics of fuel, food, spare parts, and tyres. "

 

However, he says that directive and control issues, such as radio networks and communications failures, may pose greater challenges.

 

The Pentagon, US Defense Headquarters, also said the Russian military was experiencing logistics issues and had deliberately decided to reorganize itself and "review progress and recoup the time lost."

 

The Pentagon says that the way Ukraine is fighting perhaps is also hindering the convoy to move forward. However, he said that he cannot independently confirm this.

 

It is also understood that Ukraine has resisted with more force than expected, and this may have affected the morale of the Russians and the speed of the convoy.

 

Oleksandr Danilyuk, former secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, told the BBC that "the moral of this convoy is weakening day by day" given the strength of the Ukrainian army to defend its capital.

 

On Tuesday, a US defense official told reporters that there were signs of moral problems in the Russian military.

 

"Not every one of them... was even aware that they were being sent to the front of the battle," the officer said.

 

Can the convoy be destroyed?

 

Ukraine has some air strike capability and has been targeting other Russian convoys with powerful Turkish-made drones.

 

But according to General Barons, Ukraine does not have the military capability to destroy such a large Russian army.

 

He said, "He can strike the convoy well from front and side, but he must have the ability to hit from the air."

 

General Barons says that the Russian army will also have measures to protect the convoy from airstrikes that can attack Ukrainian targets. He says that in the event of an attack on the convoy, Ukraine's already limited air force is in danger of being further reduced.

 

Some people have also discussed whether NATO cannot target the convoy, but if this happens, the matter will increase greatly and war can break out between the two nuclear powers.

 

Western countries have repeatedly said that they have no intention of jumping straight into this fight.

 

What can the convoy do next?

 

Despite all the problems, the truth is that there is a large convoy of Russian forces in the north very near Kyiv, which can advance at any time.

 

General Lord Danat, the former chief of the British army, told the BBC: "This convoy is so large that it can surround the capital and take it hostage."

 

He also said that it could be very disastrous for the Russian army to enter Kyiv and capture the city by fighting along the way.

 

General Barons also says that this convoy has so much military capability that it can cause great damage to Kyiv.

 

They say that this convoy could become a part of the army in which the siege of Kyiv could be done with artillery units and infantry.

 

He says that at that time, Russia will have two options. Either the issues an ultimatum to surrender, or he understands that the Ukrainians will not kneel and then attack there as they have done on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

 

For now, the people of Kyiv can just wait to see what the convoy does.