– Russia withdraws troops from Kiev to focus on Donbas attack

When Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of bombing the northern territories, where they promised to reduce military operations a few hours ago, Russian units stationed around Kiev appear to be positioning themselves, Ukrainian military and Western observers report, while Moscow talks about repatriation. His actions in the East.

Russia has said in recent days that it now wants to focus on the “liberation” of Donbas, in the eastern part of the country, where the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Moscow-recognized separatist territories are located. He did not explain what this meant in practice. The area has been experiencing an armed conflict between pro-Russian militias and the Ukrainian army since April 2014, which, according to the UN, has resulted in more than 14,000 deaths on both sides, both military and civilian.

When he launched the attack on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said his intention was, without providing evidence, to “protect the people who were the object of genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years” in Donbas. But on February 24, Russian troops launched an invasion from the east, south and north, killing more than 1,000 civilians, as confirmed by the UN, which acknowledges the figure is much higher and four million people have fled the country. .

Moscow has promised to “drastically” reduce operations in the north, in the Kiev and Chernigov regions, to “boost mutual trust” in the peace talks, but does not say what that means. This is an area where its troops have largely stopped – around Kiev, Ukraine is fighting – and its biggest gains are in the south and east. Russian troops are expected to face persistent logistical and reinforcements problems, and Western analysts have noted strong resistance from Ukraine in its advancement efforts, although they have continued to launch missiles into many cities in the country.

Moscow’s promise of de-escalation in the North has been met with skepticism, and some Western analysts believe the apparent goodwill gesture may be aimed at hiding failure on the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has assured that “there is no reason to trust the words of a country that continues to fight for the destruction of Ukraine.” “We can positively consider the signs we heard after the talks. “But these signals do not silence the explosion of Russian shells.” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that what Moscow says is one thing and what it does is another. “We will focus on the latter.

Signs of withdrawal of some troops

Many are now watching Russia’s moves on the ground, but it is still difficult to fully understand what is happening, to what extent, and the ultimate goals of such actions.

At the moment, the Ukrainian and Western authorities do not believe that there has been a significant withdrawal of Russian forces from the north, although they believe that some units are indeed moving out of the area and argue that attacks may continue – and that Moscow will always be able to retreat if conditions allow. .

Indeed, despite Moscow’s promise to reduce operations, Chernigov region governor Vyacheslav Chaus said on Wednesday that Russian forces had been carrying out attacks on the city “all night” and that there had also been airstrikes in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, where the mayor said. One person died. “Do you believe that? [la promesa]? “Absolutely not.” Artillery shelling could also be heard from Kiev.

In its final part on Wednesday, the Ukrainian armed forces claimed that Russia was continuing to carry out “large-scale armed aggression” against the country, but confirmed that some Russian units had been “partially withdrawn” from the Kiev and Chernigov regions. .

Earlier in the day, they said Russian forces had suffered heavy casualties and were likely to “temporarily abandon the task of blockading Kiev.” They note that Russia is “regrouping and concentrating on offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone and increasing logistical support” in areas of troops such as Donetsk.

At the same time, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Alexander Motuzyanik, confirmed that the command of the armed forces observed some movement of Russian forces from the Kiev and Chernigov regions, but did not consider it massive. Withdrawal .. The spokesman said that Russia’s main effort was “focused on besieging Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine” and that it was preparing to “resume offensive operations”.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Olex Danilov, also said that part of the troops, which were present in Kiev and Chernigov, have been redeployed and some of them are emerging in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry said they were regrouping troops in the direction of Kiev and Chernigov because “it is necessary to intensify actions to complete the operation to liberate Donbass,” Ria reported. Spokesman Igor Konashenkov argues that the first phase of what Moscow euphemistically calls a “special operation” was planned to force Ukraine to concentrate its forces, means, resources and military equipment in these areas, including Kyiv. “All these goals have been achieved,” Konashenkov said.

The U.S. Pentagon believes Russia has begun withdrawing small numbers of troops from positions around Kiev, which it describes more as moving elsewhere to focus on alternative and potentially more successful military targets.

Spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that most of the Russian forces stationed around Kiev are still there, but some troops have moved north or to Belarus, though he reiterates that they do not perceive this as a withdrawal. Russia’s attempt to upgrade, equip, and then deploy troops to other parts of the country.

“We do not know exactly when and where these troops are going to go,” Kirby said, but noted that Russia was talking about prioritizing the Donbas region, where heavy fighting is taking place. The Pentagon warned on Tuesday that “a major offensive could take place in other parts of Ukraine.”

A similar assessment by the British Defense Secretary says that there are Russian units that have suffered heavy losses and have been forced to return to Belarus and Russia for reorganization and supplies. They believe Russia is likely to continue to “compensate for its reduced maneuverability” with massive artillery and missile strikes on the ground. The United Kingdom believes that focusing on the attack in Donetsk and Luhansk is “probably a silent acknowledgment that it has difficulty maintaining more than one important axis of progress.”

Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for War Studies (ISW) say the Russians have not stopped attacking Kiev and are still fighting to maintain their most advanced positions in the eastern and western suburbs of the capital. They believe that Russian forces at this stage refused to besiege or take Kiev.

ISW experts say the Russian authorities may present these “military reality-based decisions” as proposals that confirm their readiness to engage in a serious ceasefire or peace talks, “perhaps hiding the fact that they have acknowledged the failure of their efforts. The axis of Kiev. ”

They also believe that the Russians are trying to link their positions to the south-east of Kharkov and Izum to the east with their forces in Lugansk. They also explain that Russian operations in southeastern Ukraine have left much of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control, so protecting it along with the Luhansk region is likely to “require a major offensive operation.” “It is too early to say whether it will be possible for the Russian army to conquer Donetsk and Luhansk in its current state.

What they argue is that Russian advance continues to gain a foothold in the besieged Mariupol – southeast of the Donetsk region, a strategic enclave between the Crimean territories and east of the separatist territories – and they believe they will end the conquest. The city in a few days ..

Attacks in the East

Ukraine launched several attacks in the east this Wednesday. The governor of Donetsk region said that Russian forces continue to bombard the territories along the entire line of contact, which separates the territories controlled by Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatists. As reported on the Telegram, there are civilians. The rocket destroyed part of a residential building in Donetsk, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists who accuse Ukrainian forces of attacking.

In the Luhansk region, authorities said Russian forces had bombed residential areas in the city of Lisichansk in the early hours of the day. Ambulance services say the “significant demolition” of high-rise apartment buildings and one person was found dead in the rubble. According to the governor of the region, 35 artillery attacks were carried out on the cities of the region within 24 hours.

In the talks, Russia stressed that its position on Crimea and the Donbass had not changed. The Ukrainian delegation at a meeting in Istanbul was in favor of removing this acute issue from the ongoing negotiations to achieve a ceasefire.

Ukraine offers to negotiate the situation in Crimea with Russia “for 15 years”, beyond a possible ceasefire agreement. They also offer a commitment that Ukraine “will not use force to liberate territories” that would not fall outside the agreement on security guarantees in which other countries would be involved.

Russia makes it clear that this is only a proposal from Ukraine. It continues to demand Russia’s recognition of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics”, located in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine and recognized by Russia. Ukraine has refused to accept any agreement that calls into question its borders and territorial integrity.