Russia has removed about two-thirds of the troops it had around Kyiv, mostly sent back to Belarus with plans to redeploy elsewhere in Ukraine, a senior Pentagon official said Monday.

"They have about a third left of the forces that they had arrayed against Kyiv," the official said on grounds of anonymity.

"We do begin to see them consolidating in

Russia on Monday said it was ditching Covid-19 flight restrictions for over 50 "friendly" countries, after Moscow found itself cut off from the West over the conflict in Ukraine. 

"The infection rate is declining, which means it's time to expand the destinations available to our Russian airlines," Russian news agencies quoted premier Mikhail

The situation in the Ukrainian controlled eastern region of Donbas is "tense," a regional governor said Monday, asking people to evacuate as the army braced for a Russian advance.

Since Russia withdrew its troops near the capital Kyiv in the north and said it would focus on the "liberation" of the Donbas, residents have been living in fear of a