"Russia Withdraws Most Troops from Northern Ukraine... Likely to Focus on Donbas Offensive"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It has been reported that Russian forces have largely withdrawn from the northern region, including Ukraine's capital Kyiv (Kiyev), where they had been conducting offensives. This is interpreted as a temporary retreat to reorganize troops due to shortages of supplies and declining morale. There are expectations that troops will be massively redeployed to the southern Mariupol and eastern Donbas areas, where the current offensives are concentrated.

According to AFP on the 4th (local time), Russian forces have reportedly withdrawn en masse from the Sumy area near Kyiv. Dmytro Zhyvitsky, governor of Sumy, stated in an interview with state media that "Russian forces no longer occupy any part of the Sumy region and have mostly withdrawn." Ukrainian forces that have reoccupied the area are reportedly conducting operations to drive out the remaining Russian troops.

In Zhytomyr province, west of Kyiv, the withdrawal of Russian forces is also said to be practically complete. Vitaliy Bunechko, governor of Zhytomyr, said that all Russian troops have left and "they left behind vehicles, ammunition, as well as mines in private homes and forests." In nearby Chernihiv, it is reported that most Russian troops have withdrawn except for some units.

A senior U.S. Department of Defense official also announced at a press briefing that "of the fewer than 20 battalion tactical groups deployed around Kyiv, about one-third remain in the vicinity," indicating that most troops have withdrawn. However, the official added that Russian forces are presumed to have temporarily retreated to the Belarus border area for troop redeployment.

It is expected that Russian forces will redeploy troops mainly to the southern Mariupol and Donbas areas, where the current offensives are focused. Earlier, on the 25th of last month, Russian forces hinted at a possible strategic shift, stating their intention to focus on the complete liberation of the Donbas region.

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