Following the latest negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced Russia would “drastically reduce” its military operations against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv.
Outside of limited success in Southern Ukraine, fierce Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invaders has turned their invasion into a war of attrition, with upwards of 15,000 Russian military fatalities in the past month.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine earlier claimed “certain units” of Russia's military are withdrawing from battlefronts in the capital, Kyiv, and from the northern city of Chernihiv.
“The Russian enemy did not meet the goal of its offensive operation,” it said in an official Facebook update Tuesday.
However, it warned of a “high risk” of Russian troops attacking military and civilian infrastructure. The Russian military, it claimed, is struggling to reinforce and rotate in new soldiers, due to the “refusal of personnel to participate in the so-called special operation,” and are “not able to staff even one battalion-tactical group.”
Still, it's one thing for the Russian government to appear cooperative. Actions invariably speak louder than words, especially considering yesterday's report in The Wall Street Journal, where a sanctioned Russian oligarch and high-ranking Ukrainian peace negotiators survived a suspected poisoning attempt earlier this month.
The Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, had accepted Ukraine's request to bring an end to the war.
While fighting the Russian bear seems like an impossible task on paper, its gutted defense budget, rigid command structure and low morale has given the much smaller Ukraine a fighting chance.
With the aid of western fire-and-forget anti-tank missiles and America's new suicide drone, courageous Ukrainian forces have decimated Russian military convoys throughout the country. The Kremlin's poor logistical planning and lack of initiative given to lower-ranking officers have left once-formidable tank columns precariously stalled in the open countryside. Talented Ukrainian snipers have taken care of their share of infantrymen and more than a few generals.
While Russian losses in men and materiel are undoubtedly higher, Ukrainian forces have also suffered several thousand casualties. An unconfirmed number of Ukrainian civilians have perished as well. Though it's widely agreed the death toll is in the thousands.
Despite the continued bloodshed and justifiable skepticism towards the Kremlin, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu hailed Tuesday's talks between Russia and Ukraine as the “most meaningful progress” yet.
But the next hurdles to overcome will likely be more difficult, as CNN notes:
Cavusoglu said the “trickier” issues are now to be discussed at higher levels, with a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers to “make final adjustments to the common approach.” Following that, a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on the agenda, he said.
