Russia says first phase of invasion ‘generally’ complete and it will focus on the so-called ‘liberation’ of eastern region
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On Friday, Russia’s defence ministry said the first phase of its military operation was “generally” complete, and that its forces would focus on the “liberation” of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
Has President Vladimir Putin scaled back his ambitions in Ukraine? He has previously stated his aim was to “denazify” the government and “liberate” the Donbas.
The dug-in defensive positions taken recently by some Russian forces near Kyiv indicate a recognition of the surprisingly stout Ukrainian resistance.
On the other hand, Russian forces might be aiming to continue the war with a narrower focus, not necessarily as an endgame but as a way of regrouping from early failures and using the Donbas as a new starting point, one US analyst said.
A month of fighting has left Russian forces stalled in much of the country, including on their paths toward Kyiv. A senior US defence official said Russian ground forces in the past few days have shown little interest in moving on Kyiv, though they are keeping up airstrikes on the capital.
“At least for the moment, they don’t appear to want to pursue Kyiv as aggressively, or frankly at all. They are focused on the Donbas,” the official said.
Continue reading...source https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/26/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskiy-hails-powerful-blows-by-ukrainian-army-as-russia-hints-at-scaling-back-offensive-live
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