According to a senior Pentagon officer, some Russian forces in Ukraine have surrendered en masse or damaged their own vehicles to avoid fighting.
After facing a surprisingly strong Ukrainian defense, some entire Russian regiments have thrown down their arms without a struggle, according to the official.
A large proportion of the Russian troops are conscripts who have been poorly trained and unprepared for the full-scale attack.
Russian troops have also punctured holes in the gas tanks of their vehicles in some cases, apparently to avoid conflict, according to the official.
In addition to dealing with fuel, food, and spare parts shortages, the Pentagon official speculated that Russian commanders leading the armored column toward Kyiv may be “regrouping and rethinking” their battle plans on the fly to gain momentum for what U.S. intelligence and military officials believe will be an inevitable push in the coming days to encircle and eventually capture the capital.