Intense fight continues in Kyiv suburbs, despite Moscow promise of retreat: Report

Intense fighting continued in Kyiv’s suburbs, particularly in the city’s northwest and northeast, on Tuesday afternoon, despite an announcement by both Ukrainian and Russian officials that Moscow was withdrawing some units from both the capital and Chernihiv, CNN reported.

A CNN team visiting a residential area near the frontlines (5km from Irpin) in the capital’s eastern outskirts heard regular arriving and outgoing artillery thuds. Occasionally, multiple Rocket Launch systems could be heard.

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Air raid sirens and artillery thuds could also be heard in the city centre with the same intensity and regularity as in previous days.

Yuryi Matsarski, a member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense troops stationed nearby, told CNN that fighting had not subsided in the previous 24 hours.

“[There was shelling] all the time yesterday. There was a lot of shelling at night and also today in the morning and right now, in the evening,” he said. “As far as I understand, no targets hit here in Kyiv, so our anti-rocket system is doing its very best.“

Residents interviewed by CNN expressed scepticism over Russia’s assertion that it was withdrawing part of its forces from the region, claiming that Moscow could not be trusted.

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In an official Facebook update on Tuesday, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said that certain Russian military soldiers are retiring from Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. The announcement comes as the two parties prepare to hold their first face-to-face talks in two weeks in Turkey on Tuesday.

While “small numbers” of Russian personnel have withdrawn from Kyiv in the “last day or so,” the Defense Department has warned that Russia can still inflict “massive brutality” on the country, particularly on the capital city.

“We believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal, and that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine. It does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby stated during a briefing.