The Russian campaign to seize major Ukrainian cities has failed.

 The Russian army did not have enough strength to take Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and other major cities, according to American military experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). According to experts, Russian forces are digging in on the outskirts of Kyiv and elsewhere to consolidate political control over the territories they have occupied. Experts believe the stalemate is likely to be very violent and bloody, especially if it drags on. A stalemate is not a truce or a ceasefire, and it is a state of war in which each side conducts offensive operations that do not change the situation appreciably. These operations can be very destructive and lead to enormous casualties, according to the ISW.