The following are the main points made by a senior US defense official to reporters on Wednesday, the 36th day: Russians are being chased as they withdraw from the Kiev region The U.S. continues to see about 20 percent of Russian forces lined up against Kyiv move away from the capital, the official said. Ukrainian forces are also attacking these troops as they withdraw from the area. “As these forces begin to redeploy, the Ukrainians are moving against them,” he said. Most of the redeployed Russian forces were located north and northwest of Kiev. Most notably, they seem to have abandoned Hostomel Airport, which has been the scene of intense fighting at various points since the invasion. “We believe they may have left Hostomel airport,” the official said. A local resident rides a bicycle in front of an apartment building that was damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 31, 2022. Although some troops are being repositioned, large-scale strikes on Kyiv continue. “Despite the rhetoric of de-escalation, we still observe artillery fire and air raids in and around Kyiv,” the official said. Focus shift in Donbass “This relocation around Kyiv and other places in the north, and this resumption of priorities in Donbass, clearly shows that they know they have failed to occupy the capital, that they know they have been under increasing pressure in other parts of the country,” he said. the official. While Russia may be devoting more forces to gaining control of the Donbas region, the Ukrainians are ready to make it a tough fight. “The Ukrainians know the area very, very well. They still have a lot of forces there and they are fighting very hard for this area, as they have done for the last eight years,” he said. “So just because they will prioritize it and put more power there or more energy there does not mean it will be easy for them.” Russian ships can hit Donbass Although there are no signs of an impending disembarkation, Russia has several ships in the Black Sea and Azov Seas that could be used to threaten the Donbass region with cruise missiles, the official said. Putin does not have a complete picture of his advisers Russian President Vladimir Putin is chairing a meeting on the development of aviation and aircraft construction via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo State Residence outside Moscow on March 31, 2022. “Our assessment is that this war was planned with a very small circle of people and that Mr. Putin’s advisers do not count many. And, you know, our assessment is that they were not completely honest with him about how it goes.” , said the official. The official said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been kept in a “very, very close circle”, a leadership style that inherently restricts access to information. “I can not explain the fact that the people who advised him chose to block certain information or omit certain information. All we can say is that we do not believe he had the full picture,” the official said. Odessa under exclusion “We know that the Russians continued to blockade Odessa,” he said. “So obviously it has an economic impact there.” Ukrainian soldiers pass over armored vehicles next to a damaged Russian tank on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, on March 31, 2022. Kherson was challenged “We estimate that they are still fighting for Kherson. We know that the Russians are in the city, but we are not willing to call it to one side or the other at this point. I mean, it was under Russian control, but the Ukrainians are trying. “to retake Kherson, so the battle continues,” said the official. The bombing of Mariupol continues “I do not have information on the extent to which the ceasefire in Mariupol applies. What I am trying to give you is what we have seen, you know, in the last 24 hours since we last spoke and we have continued to see that Mariupol will receive air raids, “the official said.
