According to the Pentagon, some of Russia's troops that were arranged against Ukraine's capital Kyiv have begun to reposition, but no troops have returned to their homes.
Following Tuesday's announcement by Russia that its military operations near the city will be significantly reduced, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby issued a statement.
The withdrawal of Russian troops and tactical battalions against Kyiv has been partially repositioned over the past 24 hours, Kirby said.
We're assessing that some of those troops are being repositioned in Belarus. At a press briefing, Kirby told reporters, "We don't have an exact number, but here's how we are currently assessing the situation.".
“We have seen none of them reposition to their home garrison, and that’s not a small point,” said Kirby.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said on Tuesday that Moscow had decided to “fundamentally … cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv” to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations” amid ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The Pentagon believes Russian troops could be "refitted" and moved elsewhere, although Kirby did not provide evidence to support this assessment.
According to Kirby, Russia could resupply the troops and possibly then import them and place them elsewhere in Ukraine.
“But I don’t believe that at this stage, we’ve seen the refitting going on with any specificity,” he added.
31 March 2022
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