Ukrainian Armed Forces record withdrawal of 700 pieces of Russian equipment from Kyiv overnight, but "surprises" are possible

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - THURSDAY, 31 MARCH 2022, 17:02

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have recorded the partial withdrawal of battalion tactical groups of Russian troops from Kyiv, and measures continue to liberate and clear settlements in the Kyiv region from the invaders.

Source: Oleksandr Hruzevych, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Command of the AFU, at a briefing on 31 March.

According to Hruzevych: "Overnight we counted almost 700 units of equipment withdrawing towards Ivankov, towards the Belarusian border. We are considering two options: either it is redeployment and regrouping, or there is a possibility that these BTGs will partially withdraw and reappear in Donbas [...]

Russian propaganda is now in full swing about a planned withdrawal of its troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv... I can tell you that the enemy is trying to withdraw some forces, but in general it has rearranged its strategic goals: it is trying to throw all forces to the east to withdraw its troops to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions [...]

At the same time, the forces remaining around Kyiv are not insignificant. There is nothing to fear, but they can do harm."

Details: The spokesman specifically pointed out that the Russian forces continue to launch missile strikes against the capital. At the same time, Hruzevych expressed confidence that "there will definitely be no enemy in Kyiv".

Regarding the Kyiv region, the brigadier general gave assurances that "there will be very good news in the near future."

Responding to journalists' questions, Gruzevych said that Irpin is already controlled by the Ukrainian military, but so far civilians are not allowed to return there because the threat of shelling persists.

In addition, according to the spokesman, the aggressors have left a lot of booby traps in the Kyiv region.

"Only yesterday we removed nearly seven high-capacity minefields in three settlements," the brigadier general said. According to him, these included anti-tank and anti-personnel mines and even improvised explosive devices, including but not limited to the main routes of advancement.