Russia says it will scale back military operations near Kyiv

NATO would not even exist without Putin. It would have been dissolved years ago.

No way far to much money to be made by the USA and a few others, NATO is their biggest market for weapons.

Break up NATO and each will buy the weapons they want not caring about uniformity.

NATO is a cash cow.

Barbie could be the leader of Russia and NATO would just shift further east calling China the " new threat" as a reason to exist.

@rainyday

The West isn't facing economic consequences anywhere near as dire as that

Seriously? How are gas prices are doing? And brace for more, when Russia stopes to sell its natural gas and oil for dollars and euros. By the way, how is U.S. inflation? Alive and well? And brace for more, when Russia proceeds with de-dollarization of its economy and the green tidal wave of surplus dollars hits American shores.

@Black Sabbath

Given the Russia's performance against a non-rated power Ukraine these past four weeks, I am seriously reconsidering my previously held belief that Russia is a regional power

And what's wrong with the performance? According to NATO officials and open-source data, Ukraine is not "a non-rated", it possessed a rather mighty military, with thousands of tanks, APCs, MLRS and artillery pieces and nor less then 300 thousand active duty troops, many with combat experience. Now NATO actively supplies them with arms, ammo and intelligence. And what? This mighty army is reduced to the shade of its former self, its best units are holding only in the heavily fortified areas in Donbass, unable to pull back and almost surrounded, where they will be finished just as Paulus' army at Stalingrad. The rest of the Ukrainian forces are holding only in big cities under human shields of the civilian population, unable to stage even one major counterattack. Russian advance is slow not because they can't bomb and destroy everything on their path just like the Americans did in Iraq, the Russians really try to make as little damage as possible. Units fighting at Donbass are all locals, they do not want to destroy their land.

@klausdorth

And, please, don't give me that "collateral damage" answer when not only Ukraine's children are killed!

Where you were during the last eight years, when Ukrainian regime forces almost daily shelled and killed children of Donbass? They keep killing them now, just as they did since 2014.

Black Sabbath

Hm. I wrote the following four weeks ago:

Strategically, Ukraine is vital to Russia. I predicted right here on this site [10 plus years ago] what a mistake it would be to try to bring Ukraine into NATO. I said:

Russia will be willing to go to war to stop that, and would do so prior to Ukraine having NATO membership;

Well you were wrong 10 years ago and you are wrong now. Putin's imperialistic invasion of Ukraine has nothing to do with NATO. That is just a pretext. It's about bringing Ukraine (and Belarus) into Russia.

Putin was devastated by the breakup of the USSR in 1991 when he was a KGB agent in East Germany and this is his gambit to undo that tragic moment in his life.

NATO would not even exist without Putin. It would have been dissolved years ago.

Crimea was part of Ukraine from 1954.

On 19 February 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union issued a decree transferring the Crimean Oblast from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian SSR.

That is a bit hilarious seeing Ukraine blames the USSR for everything, banned all former Soviet emblems symbols, complains and officially calls the Soviet era "occupation" but then suddenly claims the Transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine bwas legitimate!

How does that work, Ukraine gets to decide what parts of the Soviet Union "occupation" it likes and wants to keep, but rejected and complain about the parts it doesn't like or want!

But let's look at facts. Crimea was incorporated into Russia in 1783 and remained part of Russia until 1954 when the USSR arbitrarily moved it with no expectation that the Soviet Union would ever break up.

Ukraine Crimea 60 years, 37 of those as part of the USSR.

Russia Crimea was 171 years.

So this joke regarding Crimea being Ukrainian is strange, either Ukraine accepts the legitimacy of the Soviet Union or it doesn't can't have it both ways

Russia is achieving its purpose, getting Ukraine to become a neutral state and never be used by the West as a platform to intimidate Russia..

Good..

Hm. I wrote the following four weeks ago:

Strategically, Ukraine is vital to Russia. I predicted right here on this site [10 plus years ago] what a mistake it would be to try to bring Ukraine into NATO. I said:

Russia will be willing to go to war to stop that, and would do so prior to Ukraine having NATO membership;

NATO would not be willing to go to war prior to Ukaine joining, and would perhaps balk even after Ukraine joined;

In the event of a Russian invasion, the West would hit Russia economically hard;

Russia would be willing to endure a lot of suffering to prevent a hostile Ukraine on its border.

I also wrote 10 plus years on this site that if Russia could not prevent Ukraine from joining the West, it would break Ukraine -- to neutralize Ukraine geopolitically.

So, yes, I appreciate your point: Russia, as a regional power, will not tolerate an unfriendly state on its border. Hell, we in the US won't tolerate an unfriendly state "our hemisphere" (cf the Monroe Doctrine).

The think is, we in the US the have the power to back up that policy. And until now, I thought Russia had the power to do so likewise.

Given the Russia's performance against a non-rated power Ukraine these past four weeks, I am seriously reconsidering my previously held belief that Russia is a regional power. If Russia don't have the muscle to compel Ukraine to remain in its orbit, then there you go.

Russia has nukes. But so does Pakistan, and Israel. But Israel can kick ass when it comes to conventional war.

Pakistan cannot.

And so I'm wondering if Russia is going to be relegated to the status of Pakistan.

So it seems it is the liberal consensus that they simply will not allow this conflict to finish.

Yes, they look very weak, scale and draw back to Stalingrad and then suddenly bring silence and peace by raising their flag in Berlin. I know how that famous fairytale usually turns out. I have no indicators to think that this has been now rewritten with another outcome.

Seriously, trust the word of a government that commits atrocities, war crimes?

Er....it was the Germans who conquered Warsaw in 1939, not the Russians.

Right. Thanks. Sorry for the typo.

Because they’re getting their butts handed to them

"Mar 5, 2022 — Ukraine's neo-Nazi Azov Regiment was founded by white supremacists. Experts say it has somewhat moved on from its hateful past."

They have "somewhat" moved on- starting this month.

all cool now! those last 8 years? regrettable, I guess?

20,000 is the Azov Battalion, their motto is "Defend the White race"

Terrible motto, if indeed that is true, but still broader than Putin's 'defend the Russian race'. Putin's Zazi ultranationalism rivals that of Nazi Germany. Both evil.

Lies, lies, and more lies....

Remember, this is what the Russians were saying just over a month ago;

Jan 26th: "If it depends on the Russian Federation, there will be no war," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Feb 15th: "We intend and will strive to negotiate with our partners on the issues that we have raised in order to resolve them diplomatically," Putin said.

Feb 20th: Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov denied Sunday that the Kremlin is preparing for an invasion of neighboring Ukraine. "There is no invasion, and there [are] no such plans," Antonov said in an interview with "Face the Nation."

Then four days later they start their massive invasion of Ukraine...

Putin and his cohorts do nothing but lie...every time they open their mouths...

Strange to see the continuation of the rebranding to "far right".

Neo-Nazis are far-right, though.

Firstly, this is the same Russia that mockingly insisted it will not invade up until the day it invaded.

Secondly, and this is incredible, Trump yesterday asked Russia to release dirt on Biden. Shameful. He hates his own country.

Well, we know what he meant. I hope.

Yes, I can see how easy it is to confuse the acts of Nazi Germany and Russia these days.....

Insofar as the Russian economy, western countries broke themselves on the Russian economy. Is the ruble now worth more than it was before the war started?

Ruble is worth less than when war started, though yes it has made up some of the losses it experienced at the beginning of the war.

More importantly, inflation is expected to hit 20% this year, and its GDP is expected to contract by about 15%, with potentially further losses to follow in 2023 if the war drags on.

The West isn't facing economic consequences anywhere near as dire as that.

yeah, all we read about is how the Russian army is being decimated by the fanatical democrats of the Azov Battalion and etc

I think the Azov Battalion is just fighting in Mariupol, the rest of the carnage being inflicted on the Russian army is coming from other units. Credit where it is due and all.....

while the winning side begs for no-fly zones, tries to sue for peace and etc.

Way better than the other side which is desperately begging Syria and Belarus to send soldiers to replace its losses because Russians themselves can't stomach the fight they started.

Seems like Putins goals are being realised. Be good for the region to be neutral so ordinary citizena can have peace. I can see why the US is pissed. No wat equals no money and control for many players.

besides Ukrainian cities, the main things that have been destroyed in this conflict, is Putin's tough guy image & Russia’s mighty military reputation

Exactly, what a wimp, that's why he is so dangerous, Hello nuclear options.

Er....it was the Germans who conquered Warsaw in 1939, not the Russians.

Well, we know what he meant. I hope.

Its been turned into a platform where the Russian army is being decimated by Western supplied weapons, and also a platform that gave the West a reason to destroy the Russian economy.

yeah, all we read about is how the Russian army is being decimated by the fanatical democrats of the Azov Battalion and etc while the winning side begs for no-fly zones, tries to sue for peace and etc.

Insofar as the Russian economy, western countries broke themselves on the Russian economy. Is the ruble now worth more than it was before the war started?

If things don't change soon, I think it pretty obvious that Russia really is little more than a gas station with nukes.

besides Ukrainian cities, the main things that have been destroyed in this conflict, is Putin's tough guy image & Russia’s mighty military reputation

Russia is achieving its purpose, getting Ukraine to become a neutral state and never be used by the West as a platform to intimidate Russia..

Good..

Uh...yeah. Its been turned into a platform where the Russian army is being decimated by Western supplied weapons, and also a platform that gave the West a reason to destroy the Russian economy.

Way to go Russia, you get a participation prize for finishing second in the Ukraine war.

Y'know, it took Russia three weeks to conquer Warsaw back in 1939.

Er....it was the Germans who conquered Warsaw in 1939, not the Russians.

TokyoLiving - so after this, do you think Ukraine will seek closer ties with Russia? Or will they seek closer ties with the West?

Russia is achieving its purpose, getting Ukraine to become a neutral state and never be used by the West as a platform to intimidate Russia..

Russia is achieving its purpose, getting Ukraine to become a neutral state and never be used by the West as a platform to intimidate Russia..

Good..

Y'know, it took Russia three weeks to conquer Warsaw back in 1939.

You have a very sick but vivid imagination.

The facts of the matter are crystal clear: over one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Kyiv is, well, not conquered.

If the Russians were unleashing rocket artillery, heavy bombers and etc against Kiev, as it did on Nazi occupied Warsaw in 1945, it would be ruble but well and truly conquered.

And how do you think you know that?

The facts of the matter are crystal clear: over one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Kyiv is, well, not conquered. And doesn't look to be conquered anytime soon. It's not even shelling the town proper.

That’s part of the plan Black. Putin doesn’t wanna take or destroy Kiev.

Y'know, it took Russia three weeks to conquer Warsaw back in 1939.

Russia can talk of scaling back. Y'all can talk of Russia lies, or Russia is winning, or whatever.

Because it don't matter. It don't matter if you think Russia lies. It don't matter if you think Russia is losing or winning.

The facts of the matter are crystal clear: over one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Kyiv is, well, not conquered. And doesn't look to be conquered anytime soon. It's not even shelling the town proper.

Not impressive.

Not impressive at all.

The Mighty Russia is struggling in Ukraine.

If things don't change soon, I think it pretty obvious that Russia really is little more than a gas station with nukes.

Peace is always good, but Russia is not to be trusted. They have proven themselves to be murderous liars.

In a month or two it will be business as usual

Honestly, that is a concern I have.

That after the war is finished, the sanctions will be eased or lifted very early.

Why? Because of money.

If someone did a crime, this person will be punished ,let me say, for 20 years in prison.

Even the crime is already done and finished, this person have to stay under his punishment.

So if you invade illegal a country and do one of the biggest mass murdering crime in world's history, you must be punished not just for a few weeks, but for at least countless of years.

So I hope the sanctions on Russia will continue and getting even more stronger to punish them by the hardest way for what they did in the Ukraine. Even after the war is over.

And not only for weeks...for many many years!

In a month or two it will be business as usual

If that really happens, that would give a free ticket to each country to do the same mass murdering crimes that Russia did.

Why? Because there would be no long-term punishment.

Eastman - probably because we don't trust Putin as far as we can throw him

Based on the ambiguity of Russian statements over the years, the disturbing and regrettable logical conclusion is that this invasion is the next act towards restoration of the old USSR. Despite the objections of the countries who had to live under the heavy burden that was the old Union. Reasonable minds will likely conclude that he who is in power will not stop until former nations are subdued and the dreams of empire are complete. Question, highly, the silken glove that hides the steel-mailed fist underneath.

i dont understand that "scepticism" above.

every normal person who hates any war welcomes some progress in their talk and even some small positive results.every normal person who heats any war welcomes any discussion about ending of this conflict and trying to fond solutions and solve old unsolved problems.

so what is your "scepticism" about?

do you like to see that this conflict will continue?

do you like to see that more people will die every day?

what kind of people you are?

Bronco, do you think that Ukraine is going to be ok with this?

Russia will have it's dream of a land bridge linking Moscow, Donetsk, Crimea, Odessa and Transnistria.

it would be a genius move for Japan to drop the sanctions on Russia. I mean, the meaningful sanctions. As if they care about not being able to Japanese luxury goods in Moscow as opposed to traveling to Armenia, Kazakhstan and etc for them. Or they are hardly upset about not being able to strut around Kabuki cho at night. But use some pseudo legal argument to drop the serious sanctions because USA won't allow Japan to merely drop the sanctions because it wants to. Germany is going to be buying rubles or EU is going to plunged into economic depression. India and China have already dropped the US$ and Euro in the very significant trade with Russia.

The end of Anglo-American, French and German global tyranny has arrived. I'm not saying Japan should pick a side, just be neutral and trade with everyone, be friends with everyone.

@u_s__reamer

You honestly believe that the EU and US care?

This is just a re-positioning of Putins Military and NOT a scale back. Rule No. # when it comes to war: Never believe any words only deeds. You see, it's much better to stop listening and start watching. Your ears hear the lies, your eyes see the truth.

Whatever the peace terms, the Russians must be made to pay bigly for their destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure including monetary compensation for Ukrainian lives lost, like the German government has done for survivors of the Holocaust. Sanctions should remain until Russia fulfills its obligations to Ukraine. Putin must be put on the wanted list of war criminals so that he never shows his face outside of Russia unless it be in China or other such dictatorial states.

just let the scaling back/withdrawal/whatever happen. there will be time for political posturing and name calling later. The Ukranians have suffered enough from the careless actions, comments and lack of requested support of people not even involved in this.

Sounds like Russia is getting exactly what they wanted. Too bad the West egged on the Ukraine to start with.

One never sees reports on how much of the Ukrainian army and war capacity has been lost; must be significant enough for them to release they cannot win.

 and now like a dog must run away with his tail between his legs. 

I object to that characterization. My dogs are honorable creatures who wouldn't harm anyone.

This invasion can be summarised with one word 'destruction', especially destruction of Putin and Russia's reputations (what little they had to start with is now gone).

Azov was almost extinct, so Ukraine's efforts to rid itself of extremism isxalso in tatters, despite this being a common Ukraine/Russian goal.

Putin failed in everyway, except destruction.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/29/europe/ukraine-azov-movement-far-right-intl-cmd/index.html

"A far-right battalion has a key role in Ukraine's resistance. Its neo-Nazi links have given Putin ammunition"

Strange to see the continuation of the rebranding to "far right".

Another word for scaling back military operation is "trying to retreat without sounding too lame".

Well it is after all a "special military operation". Very special.

Wow, this Azov battalion gets bigger with every telling. It is about 1,000 strong. It had 900 members in 2020 but added a tank company last year.

Russia is really redeploying their forces to more defendable positions after losing control of the northern suburbs of Kyiv to determined Ukraine counter attacks. The Ukrainians pushed them back so far their artillery no longer reaches Kyiv. There is satellite imagery of them digging new defensive positions so they don't lose even more territory.

Putin lost a Criminal War and now like a dog must run away with his tail between his legs. How many people did Putin kill? This is not over.

Another word for scaling back military operation is "trying to retreat without sounding too lame".

As I previously said, don't believe anything either side saying especially the news outlets.

Russia news we mostly all agree is propaganda.

But western news is not far off.

The Wall Street journal is reporting US Sources are claiming the Ukrainian peace negotiations team was poisoned at their most recent meeting.

Oddly the team members, and even the Ukrainian government say nothing at all happened and no one is sick.

I guess there is even a limit to the false news and propaganda the Ukrainians are willing to accept.

@Klausdorth

I 100% agree.

Russia didn't invade Ukraine for liberation.

Russia invade Ukraine to extinguish a complete nation and all its population!

Russia invade Ukraine to murder!

But the world will never forget what they did and are still doing.

And Russia will feel that for the next hundreds of years.

The world and God will never forgive what they did in the Ukraine.

Oh, how gracious of them!

Here’s an idea: why don’t they do stop everything, go back to Russia, pay for all the damages, and beg forgiveness to the families of everyone they killed.

Kiev was a trick to get Ukraine troops bottled up in the city. Now that they’re there, Russia an go on the defensive and move the troops elsewhere.

Ukraine is not winning.

They are getting ready for the final stage of their plan.

Neutral is only part of it.

No Ukraine isn't winning.

Sorry to state the obvious.

""Scale Back"" ??

In other word defeated but will scale back, Putin sent over 170,000 ground troops not mention the Airforce and the Navy to take on 20,000 Ukraine soldiers and FAILED.

Russian leaders have used deception from the start and well before. Prudence means from now on, everyone must require independent verification of any claims, promises or settlements issuing from their general direction.

Scale back is not the word. It should be more like taking back in body bags. This is nothing new same scenario in Afghanistan when Russia sent a lot of their young men into war only to return in a body bag and in some case not one at all because they had run out of them.

Russia lies. Don't trust a word they say.....Feb 23, they said Russia has no intentions of invading Ukraine., then Feb 24, they invade. Last night on PBS News, Putin's spokesman was interviewed. He said Russia is NOT targeting/attacking houses, apartments, schools, hospitals, etc. Russia is NOT targeting civilians. It is the NAZI Ukrainians attacking their own cities and killing civilians. How freaking stupid does Russia think the world is???? Estimates are 5,000 dead just in Mariupol. Biden is totally right.....Putin can NOT remain in power. Many in Russia know the Truth. Someone in Russia must take Putin out, for the sake of Russia, and for the world.

Has Russia been successful at driving the Nazi out of Ukraine? I have not heard of them capturing a singe Nazi, Nazi tank, weapon etc. ?

There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does, and we’re focused on the latter,”

Putin and the Kremlin have shown that heir word is no good. This quote comes to mind:

It's not just that both Putin and another person lie, it is that they lie in the same way and for the same purpose: blatantly, to assert power over truth itself.

Masha Gessen

Proper translation from Russian will be: Ukranian army scaled them back and Russia have no reserves to successfully continue in this direction.

In a nutshell basically.

Russia says it will scale back military operations near Kyiv

Proper translation from Russian will be: Ukranian army scaled them back and Russia have no reserves to successfully continue in this direction.

Another ploy, the Russians are probably redeployment and repositioning themselves to adjust for how the Ukrainians have been fighting.

Russia announced Tuesday it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city

What they are saying and what they are really doing are two different things.

Nobody can trust these Russian liers!

First let's see some action behind these words.