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MADRID, March 31 (Royals Blue) –
The Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not “fully informed” by his Defense Ministry advisers about the course of operations on Ukrainian territory.
“Trying not to get into intelligence, we agree in the conclusion that Putin has not been fully informed by the Ministry of Defense during the last month,” said his spokesman, John Kirby, at a press conference.
This information, which was first disclosed by a high-ranking US official, has been described by Kirby as a “issue of concern” for the allies and for Ukraine. “If Putin is uninformed about what’s going on. The fact that he doesn’t have the full context, that he doesn’t fully understand the degree to which his forces are failing in Ukraine, is a bit disconcerting,” he has said.
In this regard, regarding Moscow’s movements on the ground, the Pentagon has seen “less than 20 percent” of the Russian troops that had been around kyiv moving north as they “reposition” in Belarus so that can be re-equipped for possible action in eastern Ukraine.
Kirby has pointed out that Russian troops near the Hostomel airport north of the city have been seen moving north towards Belarus, according to the US network ABC. The Pentagon spokesman has clarified that he has intentionally used the term “reposition”.
“If the Russians are serious about de-escalation, because they have said so, they should send them (the troops) home (…) They are going to reinstall these troops, resupply them and use them in other parts of Ukraine,” he reiterated.
In addition, the Pentagon spokesman has stated that there are around 1,000 mercenaries of the Russian military group Wagner Group in the Donbas region of Ukraine. “We believe that it is a reflection of the very hard fighting that continues there and Putin’s desire to reinforce his efforts,” he said, as reported by ‘The Hill’.
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