UKRAINE UPDATE: Retreating troops leaving mines in Kyiv, creating a ‘catastrophic’ situation. -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in his nightly video address hours earlier that departing Russian troops were creating a “catastrophic” situation for civilians by leaving mines around homes, abandoned equipment and “even the bodies of those killed.” His claims could not be independently verified.
The visible shift did not mean the country faced a reprieve from more than five weeks of war or that the more than 4 million refugees who have fled Ukraine will return soon. Zelenskyy said he expects departed towns to endure missile strikes and rocket strikes from afar and for the battle in the east to be intense.
The Mariupol city council said earlier Saturday that 10 empty buses were headed to Berdyansk, a city 84 kilometers west of Mariupol, to pick up people who managed to get there on their own. About 2,000 made it out of Mariupol on Friday, some on buses and some in their own vehicles, city officials said.
Mariupol, which has been surrounded by Russian forces for more than a month, has suffered some of the war’s worst attacks, including on a maternity hospital and a theater that was sheltering civilians. Around 100,000 people are believed to remain in the city, down from a prewar population of 430,000, and they are facing dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine.
In towns and cities surrounding Kyiv, signs of fierce fighting were everywhere in the wake of the Russian redeployment. Destroyed armored vehicles from both armies are left in streets and fields along with scattered military gear. Irpin has seen some of the fiercest battles of the war, and Merkushev said the Russian troops “left behind them many bodies, many destroyed buildings and they mined many places.”
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukrainian forces advance as Russian troops withdraw from KyivThe British defense ministry said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces have secured a key route in the east of the country.
Read more »
All-women Ukrainian delegation travels to Washington with message from KyivFive Ukrainian women, all members of parliament, left Kyiv this week for Washington — but only long enough to ask in person for more help before heading back into danger.
Read more »
Ukrainian forces retake areas near Kyiv amid fear of trapsUkrainian troops are moving cautiously to retake territory north of the country’s capital as Russian forces retreat from the area
Read more »
Ukrainian forces retake areas near Kyiv amid fear of trapsKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops moved cautiously to retake territory north of the country’s capital on Saturday, using cables to pull the bodies of civilians off the streets in on…
Read more »