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From the Liveblog of Friday, April 1, 2022

Zelensky: Withdrawal in Kyiv area just a Russian tactic

By AP 1 April 2022, 2:44 am Edit

Destroyed Russian armored vehicles are seen in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says after Russian troops withdrew from the north and center of the country, the situation has been heating up in the southeast where Russian forces are building up for new powerful attacks.

In his nighttime video address to the nation, Zelensky says it was heartening for all Ukrainians to see Russian troops retreating from north of Kyiv, from around the northern town of Chernihiv and from Sumy in the northeast.

But he urges Ukrainians not to let up, saying the withdrawal was just a Russian tactic.

“We know their intentions. We know what they are planning and what they are doing,” Zelensky says. “We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important areas. There where it may be difficult for us.

“We all want to win,” Zelensky adds. “But there will be battles ahead. We still have to go through a very difficult path ahead to get everything we are striving for.”

Zelensky says he spoke Thursday with European Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while his adviser spoke with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“We need more support from our partners right now when Russian troops are concentrating additional forces in certain areas,” Zelensky says.