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UPD: Powerful explosions are reported throughout the Kiev region. The AFU opened fire using multiple Grad systems. Hundreds of MLRS rockets are targeting Bucha, Gostomel, Moshun, Irpen and Borispol.
On March 29, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to drastically reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions. This was stated by the ministry following the results of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.
“Due to the fact that negotiations on the preparation of a treaty on the neutral and nuclear-free status of Ukraine, as well as on the provision of security guarantees to Ukraine, are moving into a practical concerns, taking into account the principles discussed during today’s meeting, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation made a decision to drastically, at times, reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions in order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal – coordination and signing of the above-mentioned agreement.”
“We proceed from the fact that the relevant basic decisions will be made in Kiev and conditions should be created for further normal work,” was added.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will report in more detail on the decisions taken upon the return of the Russian delegation to Moscow.
The declared partial withdraw of Russian troops from the Kiev and Chernihiv is a clear sign of the Russian reinforcement on the Donbass front lines. Month after the military operation began in Ukraine, Russian military officials declared the liberation of the Donbass region the main task for its troops.
It is still unclear to what extent the Russian military will “reduce its military activity” in the declared regions and how this will ensure the security of Russian forces remaining on the outskirts of Kiev, where the AFU grouping, supported by foreign militants, successfully prevented Russia’s advance in the region for weeks. Russian troops faced stiff resistance near the capital, as Ukraine also announced on March 28 that it had retaken a large suburb of Kiev, Irpen.
The Kremlin hopes that the Kiev military “would have made the appropriate basic decisions.” However, the ongoing events in Mariupol have confirmed that Ukrainian nationalist formations do not obey Kiev’s orders. They will not miss their chance to take revenge on the “Russian aggressors” who remained near the capital. The notorious wild warfare of Ukrainian nationalists is not regulated by the Kiev regime, nor by any international conventions.
Meanwhile, footage reportedly showing Russian forces leaving the Kiev and Chernihiv regions heading towards Belarus was spread online.
Some Belarusian media reported that large columns of military equipment of the Russian Federation were spotted moving to Belarus from Ukraine for the second day. Russian units withdrawn from the Kiev region passed through the Gomel region in Belarus.
Some Ukrainian media also reported that Russian forces have partially withdrawn from Kyiv and Chernihiv, warning that the Russian army is regrouping in the east to concentrate its military power in the area.
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While the MSM reported traditionally citing anonymous senior sources in the US administration that US intelligence is already observing the withdrawal of part of the Russian troops from Kiev, Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby declared that a small amount of Russian troops have been positioned away from Kyiv.
He claimed that “this is not a real withdrawal,” and, “we should be prepared to watch for a major offense in other areas of Ukraine.”
According to some reports that are yet to be confirmed, the U.S. and its allies are already discussing a potential additional $500 mln in assistance to Ukraine.
