The War Room: A Russian missile strike today has hit the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which has been a haven for people fleeing the embattled east.

  As of this morning, only about 130 people have emerged alive from a bombed-out theater in Mariupol that had been a shelter for more than 1,000 people.

  Despite that, outnumbered, outgunned, but not outsmarted, Ukrainian defenders appear to be taking a heavy toll on the Russian invaders. British and American intelligence estimates put Russian combat deaths at 7,000 with as many as 20,000 wounded out of an original force of 190,000.

  The Russians are estimated to have thrown 75 percent of their ground combat power into the fight and can’t get it done.

  Although the Russians have occupied large swaths of Ukraine in the east and south, British intelligence says they have “made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days.”

  The Ukraine military has destroyed several helicopters on the ground in the past several days and claims to have shot down 10 Russian planes and missiles. The Russians have fired an estimated 1,000 missiles into Ukraine.

  Britain’s Ministry of Defense  says that given significant losses, “Russia is redeploying forces from as far afield as its Eastern Military District, Pacific Fleet, and Armenia. It is also increasingly seeking to exploit irregular sources such as private military companies, Syrian and other mercenaries.”

  Four Russian warships have been spotted coming out of Vladivostok, passing by Japan, presumably to head around the world to Ukraine’s coast on the Black sea.

  Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, however, said the US is picking up signs of poor morale in the Russian ranks. “Now, I want to be careful here,” Kirby said. “We don’t have insight into every unit in every location, but we certainly have picked up anecdotal indications.”

  Kirby said the Russians in some cases are stunned by the fierce Ukrainian resistance but low morale is also “we believe, a function of poor leadership, lack of information that the troops are getting about their mission and objectives.” 

  The Russians are also hampered by re-supply problems. An operation this size requires convoys of fuel and supplies going down the road 24 hours a day, and the Russians aren’t getting it done.

  This isn’t to say they aren’t doing damage. Several Ukraine cities are getting pummeled. Police in the Chernihiv region said in a Facebook post that “the occupiers once again carried out a heavy artillery attack on unarmed civilian residents in the city” and that “there are dead and wounded people.” The post also said, “Among the dead — a U.S. citizen.”

  The dead American has been identified as James Whitney Hill from Minnesota, who had traveled to Chernihiv in December with his Ukrainian partner so she could be treated for multiple sclerosis. 

  One of Hill’s last Facebook posts said,  “Intense bombing. still alive.”

The Diplomatic Front: President Biden is expected to speak today with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to discourage the Chinese from supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine. It will be the first time they’ve spoken since the invasion.

  The US is worried that China will answer Russia’s call for military help. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the US would punish China if President Xi Jinping chooses to give Vladimir Putin what he wants. “We’re concerned that they’re considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine,” Blinken said at a lengthy news conference in Washington. He said though, “It appears that China is moving in the opposite direction by refusing to condemn this aggression, while seeking to portray itself as a neutral arbiter.” 

Stalin Returns: With his invasion of Ukraine faltering and opposition building at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an ominous speech threatening citizens who don’t stand with him.

  “The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a gnat that accidentally flew into their mouths,” Putin said.

  In remarks reminiscent of the Stalinist purges, Putin said, “I am convinced that such a natural and necessary cleansing of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges.”

The Obit Page: Marty Roberts, who was half the lounge jazz act Marty and Elayne that played at the Dresden Room in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles for decades, has died of cancer at age 89.

  Marty met Elayne when she was just 16 and married her months later. They were a couple and an act for life.

  Little known outside of Los Angeles, they became a phenomenon after an appearance sin the 1996 film “Swingers” about hipster life in Los Angeles. Suddenly there was a line down the block to see them.

  Elayne said there will be a memorial for Marty, to be held at the Dresden Room.

From the Key: College basketball’s March Madness championship tournament started with a stunning upset. Number 15 Saint Peter’s toppled second-seeded Kentucky for its first NCAA tournament win, sending the Wildcats to the locker room for their earliest exit since 2008.  Top-seeded Baylor started its championship defense rout Norfolk State 85-49. The top overall seed Gonzaga had a 21-0 run in the second half to kill Georgia State, 93-72.

The Spin Rack: The driver of a pickup truck that crossed the center line causing a fiery crash that killed nine people in rural Texas was just 13 years old, investigators say. A 38-year-old man was in the passenger seat. — In another horrific crash, six people died in a chain reaction smack-up involving 135 vehicles on I-57 in Missouri. Many of the vehicles were tractor trailers. — Saturday Night Live’s totally-tattooed comedian Pete Davidson “is no longer able” to join the next Blue Origin flight to space, the company announced without further explanation. Maybe he wanted to bring his girlfriend Kim Kardashian with him.

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