Russian attack The Russian column stuck in the north of Kiev has remained in place for more than a week, so the reason is mainly guesswork.

Abroad|The Russian attack

Ukraine the great riddles of the war include a Russian military column of more than 60 kilometers, which has been stationary on the main road north of Kiev for eight days by Monday night.

The reason for the halt is not entirely clear, but most explanations are based on the speculation that Russia’s preparations for the attack failed.

After all, there is probably no longer any doubt about the existence of the column. Military sources in both Ukraine, the United States and Britain have confirmed that the convoy came from the direction of the destruction zone in Belarus and Chernobyl. Progress began shortly after Ukraine managed to crack down on an attempt to land Russian troops at Antonov military airport in Hostomel, northwest of Kiev.

The hose from armor and military vehicles has been recorded in both local social media videos and aerial imagery by commercial satellite companies. However, no new satellite imagery has been received during the weekend and on Monday, apparently due to cloudy weather.

The convoy the bow has stopped near Hostomel, about 25 kilometers from the center of Kiev. It extends north all the way to Prybirsk near Chernobyl. Ukrainian forces blew up a large bridge south of the intersection city of Ivankivi at the beginning of the Russian invasion, so the “tail” of the column is apparently broken.

The bridges are also known to have been destroyed in front of the column in Hostomel, and the Russians will not be able to move it forward or backward.

Director of the Estonian Armed Forces Intelligence Center, Colonel Margo Grosberg said last week Postimees magazine article that there would be a total of 800 to 1,000 vehicles and about 15,000 soldiers in the column. According to Grosberg’s assessment, Ukraine has no artillery nearby to destroy Russian vehicles or cut off a vehicle hose.

British newspaper The Economist the military experts interviewed believe the Russian convoy is rich in firepower and air defense armament. Therefore, the Ukrainians would not have tried to make even airplane attacks on the column.

Bridges replacing them with pontoons, for example, is not expected to succeed from the Russians because the pioneer troops have been far behind the column and are unable to pass the vehicles lying on the road. It, on the other hand, is said to have a large number of vehicles that are already running out of fuel, even though the convoy is said to have food, water and fuel.

Ukrainian snipers are alleged to have disrupted Russian activity, at least on the bow and tail of the column.

In the Economist case, an expert at the research institute Chatham House Mathieu Boulegue thinks the Russians may have stopped on the outskirts of Kiev to wait for troops from other directions to begin embarking on the blockade of Kiev.

An American expert Trent Telenkon the conjecture in the same case is that the cause is widespread corruption in the Russian military. Fuel and spare parts may have been sold and maintenance omitted, which may have been revealed only when it is too late.

The Russians are tied to the road, as heavy equipment would almost certainly sink into wet ground just off the road. There was one degree of frost in the area on Monday night.

The resulting giant moth would also explain why there have been weekend battles south of Hostomel near Kiev’s western entrances. The media reported on the evacuation of civilians and the blasting of a bridge in Irpin.

On Sunday, the General Staff of Ukraine announced that it had destroyed a column of Russian armor in Bocha. Newspaper The Times of Israel according to the armor belonged to the Chechen regiment, the commander of which would have been killed in the battle.

Destroyed Russian equipment in Butcha on Friday. Picture: Aris Messinis / AFP

On Monday, Ukraine reported on fighting in the nearby city of Makariv. These battles on the west side suggest that Russian troops have circled from north to west in an effort to help the motivated giant column advance.

There have also been fighting in Hostomel. Mayor of the city Yuri Prilipka died on Sunday night after receiving a bullet in his head while distributing food aid to city dwellers, according to a council press release, Ukrinform.

From others so far, the Russians have not been able to try to get to Kiev, at least with great force.

Last week, fighting was reported from the north-east of the city, which was apparently reached by Russian troops from the direction of Belarus on the eastern side of the Dnieper. The attack was repulsed and no new attempts have been reported from the northeast.