Topline
Ukrainian soldiers have taken full control of the Kyiv region, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on social media on Saturday, hours after a top Ukrainian official said Ukraine had reclaimed more than 30 towns north of the capital.
A man walks by the Ukrainian flag at a military checkpoint in Kyiv on March 15, 2022.
Key Facts
Malyar posted to Facebook that “the whole Kyiv region” and the Kyiv suburbs of Irpin, Bucha and Gostomel have been “liberated from the invader.”
Okeksiy Arestovych, Ukrainian presidential adviser, said earlier on Saturday that Ukrainian troops reclaimed control of more than 30 towns and villages north of the capital city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that the pace with which Russian troops were leaving northern Ukraine was “slow but noticeable,” and accused them of laying land mines before pulling out.
After failing to capture Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, Russia has focused on taking control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War, and the Washington D.C.-based think tank expects the Kremlin to funnel more reinforcements there from Russia as well as redeploy battered units from northeastern Ukraine.
Around 4,200 Ukrainians evacuated through corridors in Ukraine on Saturday, of which around 1,200 people left from the besieged city of Mariupol and Berdyansk in southern Ukraine to Zaporizhia, a city in southeastern Ukraine, Zelensky’s office said on Telegram.
What To Watch For
Russian forces will likely claim Mariupol, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies at the nonprofit research and analysis organization CNA, wrote, “the next decisive battle will be in the Donbas where Russian units are regrouping and attempting to push UKR [Ukrainian] forces out.”
Tangent
The United States is expected to assist its allies to move Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine, CNN reported, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter. Zelensky has repeatedly asked countries to provide more weapons.
Further Reading
Ukrainian president says retreating Russian troops are leaving mines (Reuters)
Ukraine forces retake areas north of Kyiv as Russians look eastward (Reuters)
Russia Is Regrouping In Ukraine—Not Scaling Back—NATO Secretary-General Says (Forbes)
Russia Says It Will Reduce Troops In Kyiv And Chernihiv (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2022/04/02/ukraine-has-retaken-control-of-greater-kyiv-area-ukrainian-deputy-defense-minister-says/