Despite the promise of de-escalation, Russian air strikes on Ukraine have doubled in the last 24 hours

Despite the promise of de-escalation, Russian air strikes on Ukraine have doubled in the past 24 hours, a senior US Defense official said on condition of anonymity, according to several US media outlets such as CNBC and National News.

It also revealed that Russian aircraft yesterday flew 300 attack missions over Ukraine, focusing on the areas of Kiev, Chernihiv, Izyum, Kharkov and the Donbas region.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was not clear that the convoy of military vehicles from Russia to Kiev still exists after failing to fulfill its mission.

“I don't even know if it still exists at this time... In reality, they never fulfilled their mission,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

The stagnant convoy became a symbol of the hardships of Russia's battlefield and had been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian forces during the first weeks of the invasion of more than a month.

Russia has begun to reposition less than 20% of the forces deployed around Ukraine's capital Kiev, the Pentagon said, but warned that Russia is expected to recondition and resupply them to redeploy them in Ukraine, and not bring the force home.

Russian forces bombed the outskirts of the capital, Kiev, and the besieged city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on Wednesday, a day after Russia said it would reduce military operations in both cities, in what the West dismissed as a ploy to regroup against invaders who suffered heavy losses.

Kirby said that it is possible that some of the Russian forces have already moved to Belarus, unlike their local garrisons. “They are leaving Kiev and heading further north, away from the city,” Kirby said at a press conference.

The troops that left the area included some of the surroundings of Chernihiv along with those fighting near the city of Sumy, Kirby said. He added that Kiev was still under attack by air and ground attacks.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that some Russian troops were also leaving near the Chernobyl power station. It was not clear whether the departing troops were leaving the exclusion zone around the plant or the surrounding villages.

Military analysts say Russia has reformulated its war objectives in Ukraine in a way that may make it easier for Moscow to claim a face-saving victory despite a regrettable campaign in which its army has suffered humiliating setbacks.

Kirby added that Russian contractor Wagner Group had deployed about 1,000 people in the Ukrainian region of Donbas, which Moscow has declared a priority.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in the past that Wagner and other private groups do not represent or are paid by the Russian state, although he says they have the right to operate as long as they do not violate Russian law.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Wagner last year, accusing him of encouraging violence, plundering natural resources and destabilizing countries around the world.

The reorientation of Russia's military efforts in the Donbas could portend a “longer and longer conflict,” as Ukrainian forces oppose fierce resistance in the eastern part of the country, a senior US defense official said on Thursday.

“They have been fighting for it for eight years now,” the official said of the hotly contested Donbas region.

“Ukrainians know the territory very, very well,” he added. “They still have a lot of strength there and they fight very hard for that area,” he said.

“Just because (the Russians) prioritize it and deploy more troops or energy there, doesn't mean it will be easy for them,” the official said.

“It could be the harbinger of a longer, more extensive conflict, as the Russians try to gain some influence, make some progress and, perhaps, even have some chips for the negotiating table,” he surmised.

Sergey Rudskoy, a senior Russian military commander, said last week that the first phase of the campaign in Ukraine was over and that troops would concentrate on “the main goal: the liberation of Donbas”, where the Donetsk and Lugansk republics proclaimed themselves.

(With information from Reuters and AFP)

Keep reading: