US says ‘Russia was pushed back in Kiev and turned to defense’

Guardian Citing an unnamed senior US official on March 23, Russian forces are currently about 55 km east of the center of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, pushing back from a distance of 25-35 km a day ago. there.

In the western line, Ukraine still holds the Russian army, making this force not advance much in the past few days and still about 15-20 km northwest of the center of Kiev.

According to the Pentagon, Russian forces appear to be on the defensive instead of attacking north of Kiev, while advancing momentum on other fronts has also stalled.

On the same day, the British Ministry of Defense released intelligence information that Ukraine was increasing pressure on Russian forces northeast of Kiev, launching counterattacks in towns outside the capital. “Ukrainian forces have successfully carried out counterattacks against Russian positions in suburban towns and may have regained control of Makariv and Moschun,” the report said.

The report further assessed: “Currently, the Ukrainian military can encircle Russian units in Bucha and Irpin. Ukrainian counter-attacks could disrupt Russia’s ability to reorganize forces and resume attacks on Kiev”.

Earlier, the Ukrainian army announced that it had regained control of the town of Makariv near the capital Kiev after days of fighting with Russian forces. The town of Makariv, about 50 kilometers west of Kiev, is considered a strategic location on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, without control of this town, Russian forces will not be able to close the encirclement with Kiev from the northwest.

Russia has not yet commented on these reports.

It’s been a month since Russia launched the campaign military In Ukraine, the conflict situation shows no sign of abating. Despite reports from the West that the advancing momentum of Russian forces is stagnating, Moscow insists that the operation is still going as planned and that Russia will achieve its set goals of attacking military targets. aimed at “demilitarizing”, “de-fascistizing” Ukraine, forcing Ukraine to secure a neutral position.

Western experts and military circles believe that Russia is expanding its attack on strategic cities across Ukraine, expanding for the first time into western Ukraine after realizing that this is the direction in which the weapons are headed. Foreign-aided gas is transported into Ukraine. However, according to the assessment of the British Ministry of Defense intelligence, Kiev remains a “top priority target” of Russia in the next few days and weeks. The capital Kiev in recent days has become a “fortress” ready for a large-scale attack. Ukrainian officials, especially President Volodymyr Zelensky, have repeatedly called on the West to provide weapons to deal with the momentum of Russia.