Good evening from Ukraine.

John Berman here in Ferranderson.

It has been a significant day at the start of what could become a critical point in the

war.

We will certainly ask our military analysts about it tonight, but some of the signs are

playing to even civilian eyes.

Ukrainian troops defending Kiev continue pushing Russian forces away from the capital, even

as a portion the Pentagon says about 20 percent are leaving on their own.

Some have withdrawn from the Chernobyl nuclear power station in disaster site north of the

city.

The company running it says that Russian troops dug trenches in the highly contaminated

isolation zone, received what it says were significant doses of radiation and quoting

now, panicked at the first sign of illness.

CNN cannot independently confirm that, but just imagine the effect on morale, which apparently

is poor across the board.

Seeing today the head of Britain's intelligence agency, GCHQ said, and I'm quoting here,

we've seen Russian soldiers, short of weapons and morale, refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging

their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft.

Meantime, Bladder at Putin signed the order today, calling up 134,000 draftees for its

spring military conscription effort.

Many of the enlisted Russian personnel in Ukraine, as you know, are conscripts.

That said, for all the Russian losses, especially in and around Kiev and sides of Russian redeployment

...