The Pentagon denies the presence of US forces in a military base targeted by Russia in western Ukraine

The Pentagon denied the presence of any American forces at the Yavoriv military base in western Ukraine, which was bombed by Russian forces with 30 missiles on the night of Saturday-Sunday.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said during an interview with ABC that his country’s forces left the military base in western Ukraine weeks ago.

John Kirby said Russian forces are “broadening their target sets” after rockets hit a Ukrainian military base near the Polish border overnight.

Kirby added that Russia’s targeting of the base, which is located close to the Polish-Ukrainian border, indicates its desire to expand the scope of its military operations, but considered that this attack reflects a kind of frustration due to the lack of rapid ground progress in Ukraine.

He confirmed earlier, that the Russian forces are facing obstacles related to logistical supplies and violent resistance by the army and Ukrainian resistance.

The Russian military operation in Ukraine is entering its nineteenth day, in light of the slowdown in the ground progress of the Russian forces, which prompted them to tighten pressure on the capital, Kyiv, and bombed sites in many cities.

The Russian attacks on the Yavoriv military base in western Ukraine killed 35 people and wounded 134 others, according to the region’s governor, Maksym Kozytskiy.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement yesterday that its forces targeted a military base where foreign fighters are stationed in western Ukraine, while its Ukrainian counterpart said that the base includes peacekeeping forces.

The base is considered a field where Ukrainian forces are trained by foreign trainers, especially Americans and Canadians.