Pentagon: Russia repositioning for major offensive, not withdrawing
The Pentagon says Russia is repositioning its forces and may launch another major offensive against other regions in Ukraine.
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Pentagon is not prepared to call this a retreat or a withdrawal
Russia is currently "repositioning" a number of its forces near Kiev, but is not withdrawing, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
"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," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said.
Kirby stressed that the DoD is not prepared to call this a retreat or a withdrawal yet, saying that what Russia's forces probably have in mind is a repositioning "to prioritize elsewhere".
This may signal their readiness to launch "a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine," Kirby said. "It does not mean that the threat to Kyiv is over," he added.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin told reporters today that "In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing (an) agreement, a decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions."
Fomin made no mention of other battleground locations, such as Mariupol in the southeast, Sumy and Kharkiv in the east, and Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south.
