The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Thursday, March 3, 2022

But Western officials are warning that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is turning into a “slow annihilation” of Ukraine’s military and that continued siege tactics will increasingly hit civilian targets. The warning comes as Russia is reportedly deploying heavier weaponry and greater numbers of troops. A Western intelligence official told CNN that Ukraine’s will to resist is “extending” the fighting but “the cruel military math” is that Russia will eventually be able to overwhelm Ukrainian forces, which are already outgunned and outnumbered. Ukrainian officials are calling for even more immediate security aid from the West to keep defenses going.