Report

In kyiv, the withdrawal advanced by Russia is still far from being a reality

Journalists walk inside a destroyed warehouse, after an attack by Russia twelve days ago in Brovary, on the outskirts of kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. AP - Rodrigo Abd

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3 mins

This Wednesday morning, Russia showered the slim hopes it raised last night by announcing a partial withdrawal of its troops from the kyiv region and northern Ukraine, statements made at the end of the talks in Turkey.

According to our correspondent in Ukraine, the withdrawal is far from being recorded, and even less peace.

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On the ground,

Stéphane Siohan

, our correspondent in Kiev, testifies to guns that rumbled all night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The question is to know which army these artillery belonged to: " 

It is clear that quite significant combat took place and is currently taking place on the outskirts of the city, but according to the information I can have, it seems that it is rather the Ukrainian artillery which was particularly active, as if the Ukrainian forces continued to harass the Russian army so that it moved even further away from the limits of the capital.

 »

A still unclear situation on the ground

The situation in the region is unclear.

There is a lot of work to be done

 " before achieving peace, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Both Ukraine and its Western allies were cautious and skeptical about a possible Russian withdrawal from the northern front and around the capital.

“ 

In any case, it will take a few more days to take the measure of a possible Russian withdrawal.

Ukrainians are extremely cautious about this, there is conflicting information

 , ”says our correspondent.

Your questions about the war in Ukraine © RFI

Thus, the Ukrainian forces announced this morning that they had regained control of a strategic highway near Kharkiv, which would partly attest to this Russian withdrawal;

but that night the city of Chernihiv, northeast of kyiv, would have been severely bombarded by planes, by missiles, according to the authorities of the city.

The situation would therefore be extremely contrasting on the ground in these regions, which were however both mentioned as withdrawal zones by the Russian side during the negotiations in Istanbul.

Relaxation unlikely at this time

With Russian promises on Tuesday in Istanbul, could a relaxation be possible?

It is too early to tell, admits Stéphane Siohan.

If the battle of Kiev were to be put on hold, which is the dynamic that is being observed now, we could see a reactivation of the battle of Donbass, with a priority given to the encirclement of half of the Ukrainian army in the east of the country.

The noose will tighten on Mariupol so we cannot speak of relaxation at this stage

 ”. 

In Kharkiv, the fighting is mainly concentrated in the north of the city

The testimony of our special envoy, 

Sami Boukhelifa in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine

They have mostly decreased in intensity, very few Russian bombardments during the last hours, throughout the city we still hear explosions..." 

but it's our artillery fire

 " confides a Ukrainian soldier.

According to him, the trend has reversed over the past two days, the Ukrainian troops have launched a counter-offensive, they are on the way to reconquer the lost territories.

The progress is slow, difficult, the army staff publishes the video of a position just reconquered near here, the village of Malaya Rohan' is in ruins.

In Kharkiv the buildings also bear the scars of the bombardments of recent weeks, imagine a street on your right, a gutted building, three floors blown up by a strike, on your left blackened walls, charred by flames and studded with hundreds of impacts.

The inhabitants are sheltered, they sleep in cellars, so the objective now here is to protect heritage, in the city center municipal employees are building sandbag pyramids around the main monuments of Kharkiv .

 »

According to our correspondent, it is possible that the three current fronts, that of the north around kyiv, the east in the Donbass and the south around Mykolaiv and Kherson, will not last, and that the army will be limited one day in Donbass alone.

It remains to be seen when.

To read also: 

Ukraine: "

positive

" signals with the talks, but Kiev remains on the defensive

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