Russia ramps up air, naval activity in Ukraine war: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States – Russia is boosting air and sea military operations as it struggles to turn the tide of war in Ukraine, where the “dexterity” of the defense mounted by Kyiv is stalling the invasion, the Pentagon said Monday.

The Kremlin is “desperate” to increase its momentum in a war in which its troops have grown “frustrated and flummoxed” by a resistance that has shown durability despite being outmanned and outgunned, a senior US defense official said.

President Vladimir Putin’s forces have ramped up their sorties over and near Ukraine, flying more than 300 missions in the past 24 hours, with Kyiv likewise increasing their own air operations in a bid to deny Russia superiority in the skies, the official told reporters.