Ukraine claims control over Kyiv region
STORY: Ukraine on Saturday said its forces had seized back all areas around Kyiv, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched the invasion.
Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister proclaimed on Facebook, “The whole Kyiv region is liberated from the invader.”
There was no Russian comment on the claim, which Reuters could not immediately verify.
As Russian troops regrouped for battles in the east, towns surrounding Kyiv bore scars of five weeks of fighting.
In Bucha, dead bodies laid scattered in the streets.
The mayor said more than 300 residents had been killed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russian forces of leaving behind mines in the north as they withdrew.
“They are mining houses, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed. There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers. We are moving forward, we are moving carefully, and everyone who returns to this territory must also be very careful.”
Russia's defense ministry did not reply to a request for comment on the mining allegations.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a 'special military operation' to demilitarize and 'denazify' its neighbour.
It has depicted its drawdown of forces near Kyiv as a goodwill gesture in peace talks.
Both sides described talks held this week in Istanbul and by video link as "difficult."
But a Ukrainian negotiator said on Saturday enough progress had been made to allow for direct talks between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
