Pentagon confirms ‘complete withdrawal’ of Russian troops near Kiev — Analysis

Russian soldiers “completely”Following a Kremlin pledge, Pentagon declared that areas around Kiev, Kiev and other cities in the vicinity had been evacuated. “drastically”As negotiators try to end the fighting, they will reduce military activity.

The Pentagon has observed a full withdrawal from the formerly besieged areas, a senior military official told reporters on Wednesday during a background briefing.

“We would assess that Russian forces near Kiev and Chernihiv have completed their withdrawal from the area to re-consolidate and refit in Belarus and in Russia,”They added, “We are not showing Russian forces in or around Kiev or to the north [of] Kiev, and we’re not showing Russian forces in or around Chernihiv.”

After Russia said that it planned to dramatically reduce its force in the cities, late last month. The Russian military stated that this would show good faith and help progress peace talks between Turkey and Russia. Days prior, the Russian military noted that it had achieved its main goals in the area and would shift the focus to the “liberation”Moscow recognized the Donbass Regions in the East as an independent entity in 2014 after they declared their secession from Kiev.

Controversy surrounds the withdrawal. Ukrainian officials have claimed that hundreds of civilians were murdered in Bucha near Kiev just before Russian soldiers fled the region. Though Moscow has unequivocally denied the charge and requested a United Nations Security Council meeting to address the matter, Washington and some Western allies have taken Kiev’s side, with US President Joe Biden suggesting Russia may be responsible for “war crimes.”