Pentagon: Two-thirds of Russian troops have left Kyiv

Russia has removed about two-thirds of the troops it had around Kyiv, mostly sent back to Belarus with plans to redeploy elsewhere in Ukraine, a senior Pentagon official.

“They have about a third left of the forces that they had arrayed against Kyiv,” the official said on grounds of anonymity.

“We do begin to see them consolidating in Belarus. What we continue to believe is that they’re going to be refit, resupplied, perhaps maybe even reinforced with additional manpower, and then sent back into Ukraine to continue fighting elsewhere,” the official said.

The redeployment comes after Ukraine forces delivered a strong pushback against the Russians, who invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 with the apparent intent of quickly capturing Kyiv, the capital, and replacing the government.