A U.S. Department of Defense official said Western intelligence believes Russia is trying to decapitate the government of Ukraine and seek to install their own officials to take charge of the country. “It’s our assessment that [Russian forces] have every intention of basically, decapitating the government and installing their own method of governance, which would explain these early moves towards Kyiv,” the official said in a DOD news release. Officials said that there is fighting within 20 miles of the center of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, as well as Kharkiv, one of the largest cities in Ukraine. “These three axes are … clearly designed to take key population centers,” the official said. On early Thursday, Russia carried out airstrikes and launched missiles at Ukrainian military positions, according to officials. After those attacks, Russian troops, tanks, and artillery started moving into Ukraine, although the Ukrainian armed forces have been able to …