A senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday that some Russian troops in Ukraine have surrendered or sabotaged their vehicles to avoid fighting, according to The New York Times.
The official said that a large amount of the Russian troops are young, and have not been trained properly in preparation for this all-out invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian troops are reportedly dealing with fuel and food shortages, in addition to low morale.
The official added that there have been cases where Russian troops have punched holes in their vehicles' gas tanks to avoid continue fighting. They didn't clarify how the military has determined these incidents or how many units have acted in similar ways to avoid fighting.
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Over the past two days, Russian troops have created a 40-mile convoy of tanks and vehicles around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The Pentagon official added that the Russian commanders in charge could be "regrouping and rethinking" their strategy.
"They have a lot of power available to them," the Pentagon official said.
About 80% of the nearly 150,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's borders have joined in on the fight, the official added.
The official also noted that Russia's air force has dealt with resiliency from Ukrainian fighter jets.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Tuesday that he spoke with President Joe Biden regarding Russian sanctions and defense assistance to Ukraine.
"The American leadership on anti-Russian sanctions and defense assistance to Ukraine was discussed. We must stop the aggressor as soon as possible. Thank you for your support!" Zelensky tweeted.