Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had occupied all areas around Kyiv, claiming full control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched the invasion. As Russian troops regrouped for battle in eastern Ukraine, cities around Kyiv bore signs of five weeks of fighting. Dead civilians were scattered in the streets, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russian forces of leaving mines behind. Ukrainian troops have recaptured more than 30 towns and villages around Kyiv since Russia withdrew from the region this week, Ukrainian officials said. “The entire Kiev region has been liberated from the invaders,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Facebook. There has been no comment from Russia on the allegation, which Reuters could not immediately confirm. How Ukraine is drowning out the noise of Russia’s propaganda operation Foreign Minister Joly to visit Europe for talks on Russian invasion of Ukraine In the recaptured city of Bucha, which is reached by Reuters, the scattered remains of more than a dozen corpses on a street. A mass grave on the site of a church was still open, with hands and feet piercing the red clay that was full from above. Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said more than 300 residents had been killed. Many remembered the brushes with death in tears. “We do not want them to return,” said Maria Zelezova, 74, who spoke of Russian troops firing. “I had a dream today – that they left and did not return.” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was horrified by the atrocities in Bucharest and expressed support for the International Criminal Court’s investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine. Russia denies targeting civilians and denies allegations of war crimes.
Putin-Zelensky talks
Since sending troops to what it calls a “special operation” to demilitarize its neighbor on February 24, Russia has been unable to occupy a single large city and has instead besieged urban areas, uprooting a quarter of its population. Of Ukraine. Ukraine’s armed forces reported reduced Russian air and missile strikes on Saturday, but said Russian troops retreating near Kyiv were developing mines. Zelensky warned on a video camera: “They are mining this whole area. “Houses are being mined, equipment is being mined, even the bodies of the dead.” He did not provide details. Ukraine’s emergency services said more than 1,500 explosives were found in one day during a search of the village of Dmitrivka, west of Kiev. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify them. Russia has portrayed the withdrawal of its forces near Kyiv as a gesture of goodwill in the peace talks. Ukraine and its allies say Russia has been forced to turn its attention to eastern Ukraine after suffering heavy casualties near Kyiv. Both sides described the talks that took place this week in Istanbul and via video link as “difficult”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said on Saturday that “the main thing is to continue the talks, either in Istanbul or elsewhere.” A new round of talks has not yet been announced. However, Ukrainian negotiator David Arahamia said on Saturday that enough progress had been made to allow direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky. “The Russian side has reaffirmed our position that the draft documents have been developed sufficiently to allow for direct consultations between the leaders of the two countries,” Arahamia said. Russia has not commented on the possibility. An elderly woman crosses a street near a building damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 1, 2022. ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO / Reuters
Leaving Mariupol
Among those killed near Kyiv was Maksim Levin, a Ukrainian photographer and videographer who worked for a local news website and was a longtime Reuters contributor. His body was found in a village north of Kiev on April 1, the LB.ua news website where he worked reported on Saturday. To the east, a Red Cross motorcade again sought to evacuate civilians from the besieged port of Mariupol after abandoning an effort on Friday for security reasons. But he was not expected to arrive at the port at least until Sunday. Mariupol is Russia’s main target in the southeastern Donbass region of Ukraine, and tens of thousands of civilians are trapped there with limited access to food and water. Some civilians who have fled Mariupol have said that Russian soldiers searching for Ukrainian fighters were repeatedly stopped as they fled. “They stripped the men, they looked for tattoos,” said Dmytro Kartavov, a 32-year-old builder, adding that troops had paid close attention to the men’s knees. “I work, I make repairs, of course my knees – these are work knees. They say – (you) climbed trenches, dug and the like. “ International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman Ewan Watson said her convoy had departed from the town of Zaporizhzhia, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Mariupol, and would spend the night on the road. Russia has blamed the ICC for the delays. Missile strikes Pope Francis has come as close as he has yet to criticize Putin for the invasion. He did not name the Russian president, but said a “strongman” was fomenting conflict over nationalist interests. “Once again, some powerful people, unfortunately trapped in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, are provoking and inciting conflicts, while ordinary people feel the need to build a future that is either common or non-existent,” he said during a visit. . in Malta. Ukrainian officials have reported rocket attacks in various parts of the country. In the south-central Dnipro region, a Russian rocket hit a railway line, causing severe damage to the lines and disrupting train traffic, Ukrainian officials said. Earlier, Russian missiles struck the cities of Poltava and Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, said Dmitry Lunin, head of the Poltava region. The Russian Defense Ministry said its missiles had turned off military airports in Poltava and Dnipro. It later said its forces had hit 28 Ukrainian military installations across the country, including two rocket and artillery depots and ammunition depots. The Ukrainian military also reported Russian airstrikes on the cities of Severodonetsk and Rubizhne in the Luhansk region.
Alcohol sales in Kyiv
In Kyiv, people started buying alcohol again after Mayor Vitali Klitschko relaxed the one-month ban. Olena, a psychologist who bought beer at a supermarket, said that did not mean that people had forgotten about the war. “It simply came to our notice then. “No one will be better off if we are depressed without doing anything,” he said. “I’m happy because for two weeks I’ve been walking thinking ‘I want a beer,’” he said with a smile.
