Ukraine's 'stunning' defeat of Russia in Kyiv and the north is a really big deal, military experts say
The Pentagon said Wednesday that Russian forces have completely withdrawn from near Kyiv and Chernihiv in northern Ukraine and are refitting in Belarus and Russia for probable eventual deployment to eastern Ukraine.
"The withdrawal of Russian troops from the north around Kyiv wasn't a relaxing stroll in the park for these guys," a senior Pentagon official told reporters Wednesday. "The Ukrainians were hitting them as they were moving away," taking "full advantage" of the retreat "and further depleting these units as they were leaving the country."
"We are not showing Russian forces in or around Kyiv or in or around Chernihiv," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has achieved zero of his strategic goals" and Ukraine "absolutely" can win this war.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Kyiv was a Russian defeat for the ages," Robert Burns writes at The Associated Press. "Kyiv was the main prize" when Russia invaded, but Ukraine held it against some of Putin's most elite troops. Putin's eastward pivot may yet yield some victories, AP adds, but "his failure to seize Kyiv will be long remembered — for how it defied prewar expectations and exposed surprising weaknesses in a military thought to be one of the strongest in the world."
Frederick Kagan, a military historian at the Institute for the Study of War, called Russia's failure to take Kyiv "stunning." Moscow is trying to portray this as a "reorientation" of their "special military operation" in Ukraine, but "the reality is that Russia was defeated in the north," retired Australian Maj. Gen. Mick Ryan assessed. "It is the most significant Russian military defeat since Afghanistan."
Capturing Ukraine's capital "was going to be hard even if the Russian army had proven itself to be competent," Peter Mansoor, a retired Army colonel and military history professor at Ohio State University, told AP. "It's proven itself to be wholly incapable of conducting modern armored warfare."
Russia infamously left behind horrific scenes of destruction and death in its retreat, and Ukraine says it has to clean up Russian mines and unexploded ordnance. And "Kyiv is still under threat," the senior Pentagon official said. "It's not like Kyiv is just somehow immune from further attack."
"Another advance in the north is highly unlikely," Ryan predicted. But Russia will probably try to surround and crush Ukraine's battle-hardened forces in the eastern Donbas region now, and that's a threat Ukraine has to take seriously.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Antony Gormley's Time Horizon – a 'judgmental army' of 100 cast-iron men
The Week Recommends Sculptures are 'everymen questioning the privilege of their surroundings' at the Norfolk stately home
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran attack hinder support for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Pro-Kyiv allies cry 'hypocrisy' and 'double standards' even as the US readies new support package
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Why is Ukraine backing far-right militias in Russia?
Today's Big Question The role of the fighters is a 'double-edged sword' for Kyiv, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
Why is Islamic State targeting Russia?
Today's Big Question Islamist terror group's attack on 'soft target' in Moscow was driven in part by 'opportunity and personnel'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
What does victory now look like for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Not losing is as important as winning as the tide turns in Russia's favour again
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
How likely is an accidental nuclear incident?
The Explainer Artificial intelligence, secret enemy tests or false alarms could trigger inadvertent launch or detonation
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Where has the Wagner Group gone?
Today's Big Question Kremlin takes control of Russian mercenaries after aborted mutiny and death of leadership
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Will Ukraine's leadership reset work?
Today's Big Question Zelenskyy hints at ousting of popular military chief, but risks backlash amid dwindling munitions, delayed funding and Russian bombardment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published