The Ukrainian military said Monday its troops «are deterring Russian troops trying to break through the defense from the northwest and east.»
Russian forces outside Kyiv launched fresh offensive operations on Monday, the Ukrainian government reported, after President Joe Biden again scolded President Vladimir Putin for launching the invasion. A Monday morning update from Ukraine’s armed forces said Kyiv defenders «are deterring Russian troops trying to break through the defense from the northwest and east in order to take control of the key roads and settlements.» Neither the extent of the new attacks nor their ultimate goal were immediately clear. Russian forces near the capital have been on the backfoot in recent days in the face of Ukrainian counterattacks. In some areas, the invaders were forced to retreat some 40 miles further from Kyiv. Last week, the Pentagon said Russian troops near the capital were believed to be entrenching themselves in defensive positions, their advance on Kyiv stalled after one month of fierce fighting. The British Ministry of Defense noted that Russian troops positioned near the city risked being caught in a major encirclement. New Russian operations outside Kyiv come days after the Russian military announced it would refocus its efforts in the east of Ukraine, where it intends to «liberate» the Donbas region which has been at the heart of the conflict since 2014. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, claimed that the «main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished.» Foreign analysis of the first month of fighting suggests a stunning failure for Russian troops, who were unable to quickly capture major Ukrainian cities and suffered severe casualties from intense Ukrainian resistance, supported by weapons and intelligence from Western backers. Moscow’s goal to decapitate the Ukrainian government and install a puppet regime replacement now appears unattainable. Instead, Russia looks set to focus on securing the independence and claimed territories of the self-declared Donbas «republics,» perhaps as part of a larger » Novorossiya,» encompassing occupied southern Ukraine and loyal to Moscow. «The combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which…makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal, the liberation of Donbas,» Rudskoi said.
