Authorities in Irpin, on the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv, announced late Monday that they had regained control of the city, which has been the scene of fierce fighting since the war began. But the bombardment and exchange of artillery fire are still ongoing, according to Kyiv government sources. Russian army troops are barely 800 meters from the enclave through which the Kremlin military intended to invade the Ukrainian capital, an Interior Ministry adviser confirmed.
The fact that Russia has retreated or lost ground in various areas of Ukraine, including around the capital, is interpreted by the Ukrainian army as an attempt by Moscow to reinforce itself for another attack with more resources and preparation . According to Defense Ministry sources, the Kremlin is still trying to seize control of the cities of the former Soviet republic, including Kyiv.
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Just five kilometers from Irpin, a roadblock prevented vehicles from proceeding on Tuesday afternoon. Only a few ambulances and vans carrying people still being evacuated from that population were allowed to leave. In the background there were repeated detonations. Next to the roadblock, between some buildings, in a couple of tents, several toilets took care of the evacuated neighbors. An important part were elderly people and some even needed a wheelchair.
A large group of police officers closely followed the exit process of those arriving from Irpin. A dusty and tired young man got out of one of the ambulances. With every movement he moaned. He carried only a plastic bag with bread and some bills in his left hand. After putting him in a chair, several agents cut open his jeans with scissors while paramedics arrived. Inside, the cloth was covered in dried blood, along with multiple wounds on the right leg. At the same time, other police officers vigorously checked their records. One of the obsessions of the Ukrainian security forces is trying to control possible pro-Russian invaders or Kremlin soldiers left in cities like this, where they have lost their positions, as their comrades retreated.
This stagnation of Russian troops is interpreted not only as a result of the Ukrainian military advance and the recapture of important cities like Irpin, but also as a result of the logistical obstacles faced by the Russian army. According to the US Institute of Warfare (ISW), the Kremlin is struggling to continue recruiting soldiers in Russia and Moscow may not be able to relieve the engaged military in the short term. This war studies institute believes that the Russian army has likely already trained most of its troops in Ukraine and that it may take months for other soldiers to be adequately trained for combat. This does not mean that the Kremlin has stopped sending more soldiers to Ukraine, but ISW emphasizes that “a significant decrease in the intensity of human trafficking from the depths of the Russian Federation” can be observed.
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The daily report published by the UK Ministry of Defense via its social networks also warned that despite the advances made by Ukrainian forces around Kyiv, “Russia continues to pose a significant threat to the city thanks to its attack capability.” , a stance shared by the ISW, which has also confirmed that Russian forces have not yet shown any signs of abandoning their goal of capturing Kyiv, although the Kremlin reiterated last Friday that it is pursuing its goal Military operations will focus on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass.
Ukrainian counter-offensives across the country
This Tuesday, Russian attacks and Ukrainian counter-offensives continued across the country as the new round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian teams took place in Istanbul and achieved the most significant advance yet with a concrete Ukrainian proposal to renounce NATO membership in exchange for Security guarantees from third countries in bilateral agreements, and this opens the door for the first time in 15 years to negotiate the status of Crimea and Donbass.
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After the round of talks in Istanbul, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexandr Fomin announced that Moscow had decided to “drastically reduce” military operations in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas in the north-east of the country, not far from the border with Belarus. Fomin assured that the aim of this measure is to advance the dialogue and “enhance mutual trust”. Ukraine has met these statements with skepticism, although in truth analysts point out that the Kremlin is trying to change its strategy as its troops have stalled and progress is much slower and halting.
Just before he sat down at the table, a Russian attack destroyed the Mikolayiv regional administration building in southern Ukraine and a key city in Russia’s strategy to dominate the country’s southern flank and the Black Sea. According to local authorities, there are at least nine dead and 28 injured. Vladimir Putin’s troops, targeting local governments – they bombed the Kharkov government as early as the first week of March – tried to destroy the Mikolayiv governor’s headquarters last Monday, but the attack ended in a hotel. The governor of Mikolayiv, the charismatic Vitaly Kim, famous for his messages on social networks and for his resistance and that of the city against the invasion, was not in the building because he slept more than necessary this Tuesday, as he did in society annotated media.
Ukrainian troops, in turn, launch a fierce counteroffensive on the southern front towards Kherson, the region’s only occupied capital and Russia’s greatest conquest. On the axis connecting the punished Chernihiv and Sumi, where the Russians tried to advance towards Kyiv from the east, the Ukrainian counter-offensive also managed to stop the Kremlin troops. After days of the Battle of Brovari, Ukraine could have stopped the Russian advance there. Moscow has shown no signs of reducing its offensive in eastern Ukraine or to the Azov Sea city of Mariupol, where its troops already control several areas and from where the Kremlin media are already broadcasting, broadcasting images of the devastated city, which claims everything is the work of Ukrainian “nationalists”.
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