US says Russian troops have been taken out by FROSTBITE, claims Ukraine is ready to take back cities and that Putin's forces are still stuck outside Kyiv with mounting evidence their invasion was poorly planned

 Russian troops in Ukraine lack proper cold weather clothing and some have been taken out of the fight by frostbite, a senior U.S. defense official revealed on Tuesday.

The official cited it as another example of how Moscow had failed to adequately prepare for the invasion of Ukraine, along with continuing fuel, ammunition and food shortages.Nearly a month into the war, Russian troops have failed to seize a single major city and their advance has been halted on nearly all fronts by staunch Ukrainian defense.

Now Ukrainian forces are preparing to retake captured territory as Russian forces battle declining morale - according to the latest Pentagon assessments. 

A senior official was asked about logistics problems during a briefing on Tuesday. 

'We picked up some indications that some of their soldiers are suffering from frostbite because they they lacked the appropriate cold weather gear for the environment that they're in ... that they haven't - in addition to food and fuel - even in terms of personal equipment for some of their troops they are having trouble,' said the official.

'They're having trouble and we picked up indications that some troops have actually suffered and been taken out of the fight because of frostbite. 

'So yes, they are having continued logistics and sustainment issues.'

That includes a lack of guided munitions, he added. 

A senior U.S. defense official on Tuesday said some Russian soldiers were suffering from frostbite in Ukraine, another example of the continuing problems they were having because of a lack of proper planning for the invasion

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows damages and burning buildings in Irpin, near Kyiv

Russian advances on Kyiv have been stalled for days, and with the conflict now in its 27th day there are fears a desperate Vladimir Putin is about to use chemical weapons in an effort to break the deadlock

Captured Russian army soldiers during a press conference organized by the Ukrainian army in Kyiv, Ukraine

Part of that is down to the fierce resistance put up by Ukrainian forces and part of that is that Moscow failed to plan properly, said the official.  

With Russia's ground offensive stalled about 10 miles outside the capital Kyiv, its forces have become increasingly reliant on air strikes and artillery.

Some of the fiercest fighting has been around the southern port city of Mariupol as Moscow seeks to capture a land bridge between the territory in controls in the Donbas and Crimea.

U.S. officials have warned that Vladimir Putin could be about to unleash chemical weapons in a desperate effort to break what appears to be a stalemate.

President Joe Biden said on Monday that Russia's false accusations that Kyiv has biological and chemical weapons illustrated that the Russian leader was considering using them himself.

The U.S. official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, shared Biden's assessment but added: 'There's no indication that there's something imminent in that regard right now.'

At the same time he said Ukrainian forces had been organising in attempt to retake lost ground. 

Russia's troops will run out of food, fuel and ammunition within three days, Ukraine's generals have predicted today, due to logistical failings in Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' (pictured, a destroyed Russian vehicle near Kharkiv)

The Kremlin appears to have planned for a days-long war that has now lasted almost a month with heavier-than-expected casualties after its forces met with stiff resistance (pictured, a destroyed Russian vehicle near Kharkiv)

Shortcomings by military planners have left Russian convoys vulnerable to Ukrainian ambushes which has deprived troops of the resources they need to fight (pictured, a destroyed truck near the city of Kharkiv)

Russian ground forces have been largely at a standstill for weeks, with only limited gains in the south and east. Efforts now appear to be concentrated on capturing the city of Mariupol, though efforts have so-far failed. Ukraine says counter-attacks are underway to the west of Kyiv, potentially threatening Russian advances there

'What we're what we're starting to see are are indications that they are they are, are now able and willing to take back territory that the Russians have taken,' said the official. 

He declined to indicate what their targets might be and said it was difficult to tell whether it was part of a bigger operational plan.

It comes as Ukraine claims that its forces have repelled Russian troops from a strategic suburb of Kyiv, forcing Mosco to call up reinforcements to help them take Makariv, about 37 miles from the capital.  

In an update issued today, Ukraine's armed forces said: 'Having lost the offensive potential, the Russian occupying troops continue forming and deploying the reserves from the depths of the Russian Federation to the borders of Ukraine.'

And Kyiv's generals claimed Putin's troops have only enough food, fuel and ammunition for another three days of fighting. 

In the meantime, Ukraine's leaders have kept up their pleas for more aid amid desperate accounts of the devastation in the encircled city of Mariupol, where residents are without medicine, power and running water.

Officials said 300,000 civilians were also running out of food in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, highlighting what an international aid official said was the breakdown of Ukraine's humanitarian system. 

'There is nothing left there. Only ruins, said President Volodymr Zelensky in a video address to the Italian parliament. 

Civilian volunteers are trained in combat by Ukrainian troops in woodland near Kyiv, as the country calls up its full reserves and prevents men from leaving so they can join the fight

Ukraine's international supporters have been funneling arms and ammunition to the nation's armed forces, but now the Biden administration also faces calls to back the sort of irregular or guerrilla warfare that could last for years. 

'President Biden owes it to the Ukrainian people to explicitly call for supporting a national Ukrainian resistance,' Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Special Forces officer with multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, told DailyMail.com 

'This will raise the cost for Putin enormously and will signal to the Russian regime Ukraine will remain a military quagmire for the foreseeable future. 

'Only when Putin believes that his invasion is unwinnable militarily will he get serious about diplomacy.' 

For now, officials publicly say they remain focused on 'plan A.' The Ukrainian armed forces have been successful in halting the initial Russian onslaught while the country's air force and air defense systems have prevented Russia gaining supremacy in Ukrainian airspace. 

Meanwhile, Washington and its allies have sent Javelin anti-armor and Stinger anti-aircraft weapons, to ensure Ukraine remains supplied with key systems.

Although reports suggest there is discussion of a 'plan B' - including support for Ukrainian government in exile - officials have declined to confirm details publicly.

But Kyiv has already laid the groundwork for building a broader, countrywide resistance movement against Russia