Vladimir Putin has withdrawn his forces from both Kyiv and Chernihiv, according to the Pentagon.
The withdrawal marks a major point of the illegal invasion, which began seven weeks ago, as it's the first time that Putin has seen his forces deliberately take a step backwards.
However, the western world is now anticipating a 'refocus' of Russia's attacks.
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“We are assessing that all of the Russians have left,” a senior U.S. defence official told the Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity under terms set by the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, the NATO Secretary-General warned that the withdrawal of troops elsewhere indicates a change in tactics.
Instead of trying to take control of multiple cities, it is believed that from now, Russia will focus purely on the Donbas region.
That includes Donetsk and Luhansk, the two areas Putin said he was "helping" when launching the illegal invasion back in February.
"Russia is moving forces out of the north to reinforce them, to resupply them, re-arm them and then to move them into the east where we are expecting a major offensive," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
“Putin’s aim is to try to control the whole of Donbas.
"Any targeting and killing of civilians is a war crime and therefore NATO allies are supporting the international efforts to establish all the facts, to investigate and to make sure that perpetrators are punished."
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