Russian soldiers have “completely” vacated areas around the Ukrainian capital, Kiev and another city nearby, the Pentagon has said, following a pledge from the Kremlin to “drastically” reduce military activity in the region as negotiators attempt to bring an end to the fighting.
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 Chernigov have completed their withdrawal from the area to re-consolidate and refit in Belarus and in Russia,” they said, adding, “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 Chernigov.”