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- Russia appears to be withdrawing its troops near Kyiv, although Ukraine said it might just be rotating its units.
- Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday that the scaleback is also likely a ploy to throw off Kyiv’s defenders.
- The White House and Pentagon have also expressed doubt about Russia’s withdrawal claims.
Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday evening that Russian forces appear to be withdrawing from the northern cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv but warned that this is likely just a rotation of troops that “aims to mislead” Ukrainian forces.
“According to some indications, the Russian enemy is regrouping units to focus its main efforts on the East,” said the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces in a report published on Facebook.
“At the same time, the so-called ‘withdrawal of troops’ is probably a rotation of individual units and aims to mislead the military leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and create a misconception about the occupiers’ refusal to plan to encircle the city of Kyiv,” the report continued.
Moscow declared on Tuesday that it would “drastically reduce” its assaults near Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and Chernihiv, the country’s northernmost city.
Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said his country’s military pullback aimed to “increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing on the signing of the above [peace] agreement.”
Fomin made the announcement following the fourth round of ceasefire talks held between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Turkey, on the same day.
The Pentagon has also expressed doubt toward Russia’s withdrawal claims and called the troop movements a “repositioning” instead.
“We’re seeing a small number now that appears to be moving away from Kyiv, this on the same day that the Russians say they’re withdrawing,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, per Agence France-Presse.
“But we’re not prepared to call this a retreat or even a withdrawal,” he said. “We think that what they probably have in mind is a repositioning to prioritize elsewhere.”
“We all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine. It does not mean that the threat to Kyiv is over,” Kirby added, per the outlet.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday: “We’ll see. I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We’ll see if they follow through on what they’re suggesting.”
A similar sentiment was expressed by White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, who said that “no one should be fooled by Russia’s announcements.”
It has been 34 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the United Nation’s latest tally, at least 1,179 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the war, while 1,860 have been injured. However, the UN noted that the actual casualty figures are likely far higher.
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