Russian forces are not pursuing a 'ground offensive toward Kyiv' anymore, as they turn their attention toward the eastern region of Ukraine, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
The Pentagon has previously noted that Russia's main objective was to overtake Kyiv quickly, but Russian forces met fierce resistance that caught them off guard. The fourth week of fighting has concluded, and they’re now “establishing [a] defensive position” and “digging in” on the outskirts of Kyiv, the official said on Friday.“At least for the moment, they don't appear to want to pursue Kyiv as aggressively, or frankly at all.
Russia has sought, since the beginning of the invasion, to capture enough land between Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the eastern part of Ukraine, which has a pro-Russian separatist faction, so that it could more easily move supplies and troops from one area to the other. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine acknowledged on Friday that Russia “succeeded in creating a land corridor between the" two regions.
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