The other side is confirming Kiev retook the towns NW of Kiev, loss of a key highway they had blocked before, and say they withdrew to at least 130km east of Ukraine so far.
***Got a link?
At any rate, this all fits within the obvious framework that Pootypoot simply wants to take their oil & gas.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4050958/posts
He can withdraw well to the east of Kieyyyeeev, and keep what he wants. It’s a combination of splitting Ukraine in half along that river, and controlling the oil&gas regions.
I think that's the best explanation of why he's there. They've got something he wants, and he means to steal it, at the risk of some of his forces and his country's (literally, his) status in the world.
Then why did he go there in the first place?