It is noted that their advance has slowed due to Ukrainian forces defending Hostomel airport, an airport that was a key Russian target for the first day of the war.
In early morning remarks, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russian forces are 20 kilometers northwest of Kiev and that the Russian army is disorganized.
He added that President Putin based this invasion on the strange assumption that the Ukrainians would welcome the Russians as liberators, which creates curatorial problems.
Indeed, the ministry's briefing stresses that curatorial difficulties and Ukrainian resistance continue to make it difficult for the Russians.
It also reports heavy fighting continues in Chernihiv and Kharkiv, yet both cities remain under Ukrainian control.
Finally, it notes that despite efforts to suppress information about the conflict in Russia, the country's armed forces were forced to admit casualties for the first time.
The update comes after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had new contact overnight.
According to Downing Street, Mr. Zelensky said that the next 24 hours would be "critical", while Johnson assured that Britain would do all it could to ensure that defensive arms from his country and allies reached the Ukrainian forces.
In early morning remarks, Britain's Defence Secretary said that weapons have been delivered to Ukrainian forces even after the invasion began.
Mr Wallace also said that President Putin's threat of nuclear weapons readiness is an attempt to distract the Russians from what he is doing in Ukraine. "It is not linked to anything specific in the Russian force readiness structures," said the British minister, who noted that Britain also keeps its own nuclear readiness very high. He assessed that even without the nuclear weapons threat, Mr. Putin is "dangerous" and has demonstrated "irrational" behavior.
The assessment that the heightened alert order on Russia's nuclear arsenal is a distraction was also expressed by Boris Johnson, who on Sunday night attended a service at a Ukrainian church in central London.
Addressing the Ukrainian worshippers who had gathered at the church, he also said that he had seen nothing in the Russian President's behaviour that led him to believe that he was sincerely talking about negotiations to resolve the crisis.
He further commented that he has never in his life seen such a clear distinction between right and wrong or good and evil as the one represented by the invasion of Russia versus the battle being fought by the Ukrainians.
The British government also announced an additional £40 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Source: CNA
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