Ukraine Pushes Some Russian Troops Away From Kyiv, U.S. Says

Topline

Ukrainian forces mounted a counteroffensive east of Kyiv and pushed Russia away from the capital city, an unnamed U.S. official told reporters Wednesday, the latest display of resistance in the country’s weeks-long war with Russia.

SOLEDAR, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 27: Soldiers in the Ukrainian Army withdraw 15, 100 mm caliber artillery guns in Soledar, eastern Ukraine, on February 27, 2015. In accordance with a February 12 ceasefire brokered by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists agreed to stop fighting and withdraw heavy weapons from the frontlines of a conflict that has killed over 5,000 people in the past year. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images) Getty Images

Key Facts

Russian forces are now about 34 miles east of Kyiv, roughly 15 to 22 miles further from the capital than they were on Tuesday, an unnamed senior U.S. defense official told reporters in a briefing, according to several media outlets.

Another contingent of Russian troops remains about 10 miles northwest of Kyiv’s city center, where they are “digging in” and shifting to defensive positions after making little progress over the last week, the official reportedly said.

Ukrainian forces have also likely retaken the towns of Makariv and Moschun west of Kyiv, and there is a “realistic possibility” they could encircle Russian forces in the western suburbs of Irpin and Bucha, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.

The U.S. official said Russian forces have gone “more on the offense” in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine, which contains two pro-Russian breakaway states, following weeks of warnings that Russia may try to cut off Ukrainian troops in the country’s east.

Key Background

Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby said during a Pentagon briefing Tuesday the Ukrainian military appears to be “going a bit more on the offense now” against invading Russian troops. He said Ukraine has been “smartly, very nimbly, very creatively” attempting to retake territory in various areas of the country, including near the southern city of Kherson, which Russia seized in the first week of the war. Last week, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Russia has been “surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance,” which has prevented Russia from seizing major cities or encircling Kyiv and staved off the quick Russian victory many observers predicted. Russian forces have also reportedly struggled with logistical supply line issues, and have yet to take control of Ukrainian skies.