Amid indications Russia is recalibrating its strategy in Ukraine, where it has failed to make major gains despite numerical and technological edge, the United Kingdom said on Friday Moscow has fully withdrawn its forces from north Ukraine back to Belarus and Russia.
Some of these troops will now be shifted to east Ukraine in the Donbas region, the UK’s ministry of defence said, providing its latest update on the ongoing conflict, which began with Russia’s February 24 invasion of its neighbour.
“Many of these forces will require significant replenishment before being ready for deployment further east. Any mass redeployment from the north is likely to take at least a week minimum,” the ministry noted in its statement.
However, it further said that the strategically important town of Izium continues to be under Russia’s control. “Russian shelling of the cities in the east and south continues, and its troops have advanced further south from Izium,” the UK cautioned.
In recent days, the Ukrainian soldiers have been successful in driving their Russian counterparts away from Kyiv, the capital and largest city of the east European nation. However, other cities, including the second-largest city, Kharkiv, as well as Mariupol, have suffered significant damage as a result of the fighting.
Meanwhile, in a significant development a day ago, Russia was suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as a response to its offensive in Ukraine. As many as 93 countries, including the US, voted in favour of the suspension, while 58, including India and Pakistan, abstained. On the other hand, 24 countries, including China, voted against the motion.