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The head of Ukraine's defense intelligence agency tells Military Times that the Ukrainian armed forces have struck the long line of Russian troops heading to Kyiv.

In an exclusive interview with the Military Times, brigadier general Kyrylo Budanov said that they were striking the enemy's columns.

He said that the strikes are being conducted by the Ukrainian Su-24 and Su-25 fighter jets.

He said that his intelligence officers and agents were calling the strikes.

The Pentagon spokesman said that he wouldn't speak to intel assessments.

March 2 is the day when the Ukraine invasion is live.

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters that the Russian troops appeared to be in a holding pattern.

The official said that the formations that had been moving toward the city are in the same location as Monday.

A view of the central square following shelling of the City Hall building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Russia on Tuesday stepped up shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, pounding civilian targets there. Casualties mounted and reports emerged that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Russian artillery hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, the capital. (Pavel Dorogoy/AP)
A view of the central square following shelling of the City Hall building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Russia on Tuesday stepped up shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, pounding civilian targets there. Casualties mounted and reports emerged that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Russian artillery hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, the capital. (Pavel Dorogoy/AP)

The official said that they believed that it was for a number of reasons. We are seeing signs that they are running out of food and gas, and that they are having trouble feeding their troops.

The Pentagon's assessment is in line with reports from recent days that Russian troops are looking for fuel and sustenance.

There is a chance that the Russians are taking a strategic pause to regroup, possibly after a stronger defense from the Ukrainian armed forces.

According to Budanov, the Russians have been using thermobaric weapons in the assault on Kharkiv.

He said that they were fired by weapons systems.

According to the Journal of Military and Veterans, thermobaric weapons produce more heat and overpressure than conventional weapons. According to the journal, such weapons cause tremendous damage to the human body.

The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not reply to a request for comment on the claims.

The Guardian reported that Human Rights Watch condemned Russia for using weapons in Chechnya a year earlier.

The Guardian said that the weapons were effective at destroying defensive positions.

Marcus Hellyer, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that they are not illegal even though their effects can be terrible.

A senior U.S. defense official said on Tuesday that the Pentagon had seen weapons systems that could launch themobaric weapons inside of Ukraine, but could not confirm that they were actually in the country. Semelroth told Military Times there was no update to that assessment.

The Pentagon Bureau Chief contributed to the report.

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