ITV news correspondent Geraint Vincent has the latest information on the war in Ukraine Russian forces are leaving behind “a complete disaster” in their retreat from northern Ukraine, leaving mines on everything from damaged equipment to corpses, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Despite Russia’s commitment this week to reduce “military activity in the direction of Kiev and Chernihiv,” the Ukrainian leader said residents must be prepared for further attacks. Witnesses in both cities deny that the attacks have stopped, with a surgeon in Chernihiv being forced by the sound of explosions to find safety during an interview with ITV News, in which he described Russia’s commitment as a “big lie”. “We have no silence … it is a lie”: Chernihiv surgeon says Russia’s commitment to curb military activity is false Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said that the bombing of satellite cities near the Ukrainian capital continues despite Russia’s promise. And where Russian forces are retreating, “they are mining the whole territory, mining houses, mining equipment, even the corpses of people killed,” President Zelensky said in a video conference call Friday night. He urged residents to wait for their normal lives to resume until they are sure the mines have been cleared and the bombing risk has passed. “It is not yet possible to return to normal life, as we used to, even to the lands we take back after the battles,” he said. “We have to wait until our land is demarcated, wait until we can assure you that there will be no more bombing.” It comes amid fears that the Russians could retreat simply to regroup and plan a new attack. ITV News has seen scenes of destruction and despair in Dmytrivka, near Kyiv, which has been under constant bombardment since Russia said it would retreat. Dogs and locals were seen competing for abandoned portions left behind among the muted remnants of Russian tanks, dead soldiers, unexploded ordnance and the not-too-distant sound of bombing. Klitschko told Sky News on Friday that he could hear the sounds of the explosions “non-stop during the day and night”. Klitschko said cities northwest of Kiev, such as Irpin, Borodyanka and Hostomel, had been targeted after Ukrainian fighters withdrew Russian troops and that fighting had also continued in Brovary, east of Kiev. For those who may want to return to Kyiv in the light of the alleged Russian withdrawal, he urged people to wait “two weeks” to see how the situation develops. Fighting in Ukraine continued across the country on Friday, as it appeared to be penetrating Russia on Thursday. Ukrainian soldiers inspect trenches used by Russian soldiers during occupation of villages on the outskirts of Kiev Credit: AP Russia has claimed that Ukraine had launched an attack on Russian soil by striking a fuel depot on the other side of the border, which the Kremlin described as “not something that can be considered a comfortable way to resume talks”. President Zelenskyy declined to comment on whether he ordered the alleged attack. In an interview with Fox News, he said that he does not discuss the orders he issues as a general. The secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine denied the claims of Moscow that two Ukrainian helicopters hit the installation in the city of Belgorod north of the border around Friday morning. The Belgorod regional governor said two warehouse workers were injured in the attack, but Russian media quoted a statement from state oil company Rosneft, which denied that anyone was injured. If Moscow’s claim is confirmed, it will be the first known offensive in the war in which Ukrainian aircraft infiltrated Russian airspace. For expert analysis and information on the biggest stories, listen to our podcast to find out what you need to know In southern Ukraine, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday it had reached an agreement to remove some citizens from Maroupolis, but had to give up its attempt to enter on Friday, saying it was “impossible to move forward”. President Zelensky said that “Europe has no right to remain silent about what is happening in our Mariupol”, where 3,071 people were able to leave on Friday. “The whole world must respond to this humanitarian catastrophe.” Surgeon Roman Bondarenko, who works day and night at two hospitals in the northern city of Chernihiv, said it was “a lie” when asked if he believed the Russians were restricting their military operations. “We have no silence,” he said, “they are close, they are destroying our city, they are destroying (the) electricity, they are destroying the water, they are destroying our supermarkets.”
