Ukrainians chasing Russians as they leave Kyiv region: Pentagon update Day 36

The Pentagon provided daily updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine’s efforts to resist.

Here are highlights of what a senior US defense official told reporters on Wednesday as of Day 36:

Russians are hunted down as they retreat from the Kyiv region

The United States continues to see about 20% of Russian forces deployed against Kyiv reposition away from the capital, the official said. And the Ukrainian forces are attacking these troops as they withdraw from the area.

“As these forces begin to reposition themselves, the Ukrainians are acting against them,” the official said.

Most of the repositioning Russian forces were located north and northwest of Kyiv. Most notably, they appear to have abandoned Hostomel Airport, which has been the scene of heavy fighting at various times since the invasion began.

“We think they most likely abandoned Hostomel airfield,” the official said.

Although some troops are repositioning, long-range strikes on Kyiv continue.

“Despite the de-escalation rhetoric, we are still seeing artillery fire and airstrikes in and around Kyiv,” the official said.

Focus on Donbass

“This repositioning that they are doing around Kyiv and other places in the north, and this reprioritization on Donbass, clearly indicates that they know that they failed to take the capital, that they know they have come under increased pressure elsewhere in the country,” the official said.

While Russia could devote more forces to taking control of the Donbass region, the Ukrainians are ready to make it an uphill battle.

“The Ukrainians know the territory very, very well. They still have a lot of forces there, and they are fighting absolutely very hard for this region, as they have done for the last eight years,” the official said. . “So just because they’re going to prioritize it and put more force or more energy into it doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy for them.”

Russian ships can hit the Donbass

Although there are still no signs of an imminent amphibious landing, Russia has several ships in the Black Sea and Sea of ​​Azov that could be used to threaten the Donbass region with cruise missiles, the official said. .

Putin doesn’t get the full picture from advisers

“Our assessment is that the planning for this war was done with a very small circle of people, and Mr. Putin’s advisers are not many. And, you know, our assessment is that they weren’t completely honest with him about how it’s going,” the manager said.

The official said Russian President Vladimir Putin has remained in a “very, very tight circle”, a style of leadership that inherently limits access to information.

“I can’t explain the fact that the people advising him have chosen to obstruct certain information or omit certain information. All we can say is that we don’t think he has the full picture. “, said the official.

Odessa under blockade

“We know the Russians continued to blockade Odessa,” the official said. “So obviously it has an economic impact there.”

Kherson disputed

“We estimate that they are still fighting for Kherson. We know the Russians are in the city, but we are not ready to call it one way or the other at this stage. I mean, c was under Russian control, but the Ukrainians are trying to retake Kherson, so it’s still disputed,” the official said.

The bombardment of Mariupol continues

“I don’t have an update on the extent to which a ceasefire is being enforced in Mariupol. What I’m trying to give you is what we’ve seen, you know, over the past 24 hours since our last conversation, and we have continued to see Mariupol undergoing airstrikes,” the official said.