Signs have emerged that Moscow may be setting its focus on the eastern breakaway republics as its largely-stalled forces turn back their advance on Kyiv.
on the condition of anonymity, said Russian forces north of Kyiv did, in fact, appear to be withdrawing. However, the official warned the move might be a feint intended to allow the invading forces to regroup.
"We ought not be fooling — and nobody should be fooling ourselves — by the Kremlin's now-recent claim that it will suddenly reduce military attacks near Kyiv or any reports that it's going to withdraw all of its forces," Kirby told reporters. A still from a video published March 29 by the Russian Defense Ministry shows what is purported to be a strike against Ukrainian armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery.The Donbas region that now appears to be at the center of Moscow's designs was the initial entry point into Ukraine of Russian troops deemed"peacemakers" in late February, as Putin offered recognition to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
Logistical problems reportedly forced Russian troops to transition to what the Pentagon has described as a"defensive posture." Moscow's attempts to resupply them — most notably via a 40-mile long convoy stretching from the Belarus border — have been deemed unsuccessful by Ukrainian and U.S. officials. Ukrainian defenders armed with Western-produced anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons inflicted serious casualties using asymmetric tactics.
Russian and separatists forces have so far failed to make significant headway on the eastern front. From the south, however, Russian troops advancing from Crimea were able to capture Melitopol and the port city of Berdyansk while surrounding and bombarding the port city of Mariupol in a bid to secure a Black Sea-adjacent land corridor from Donbas to Crimea.
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