Russian Forces Retreating from Kyiv Creating ‘Complete Disaster’ with Mines Around Homes, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Warns

Russian forces are creating “a complete disaster”, leaving mines around homes and even corpses, Ukraine’s president has said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued the warning to his people early on Saturday as Russian troops continued to withdraw from areas around Kyiv.

He said: “They are mining the whole territory.

“They are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed.

“There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers.”

Mr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians should wait until they are assured that the mines have been cleared and the danger of shelling has passed, before trying to resume their normal lives.

Russia said earlier this week that it would reduce military activity around the Ukrainian capital and the northern city of Chernihiv, claiming this would increase trust between both sides at peace talks.

Mr Zelenskyy said on Friday, however, that Russia would simply re-group before pushing towards the east of Ukraine for a renewed assault on the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said Ukrainian forces continue to advance against withdrawing Russian forces in the vicinity of Kyiv.

Russian forces are also reported to have withdrawn from Hostomel airport near the capital, which has been subject to fighting since the first day of the conflict.

Key developments:

• The US will provide an additional $300m (£228m) in security assistance to Ukraine, including laser-guided rocket systems, drones, and commercial satellite imagery services
• A Red Cross convoy travelling to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol will make another attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged port today
• Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Ukrainian think tank Penta, said the fall of Mariupol could determine the fate of peace talks, adding: “Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, and without its conquest, Putin cannot sit down at the negotiating table”
• As Russia starts to pull back from Kyiv and Chernihiv, Ukraine said its military had retaken 29 settlements in those regions
• At least three Russian ballistic missiles were fired from the Crimean Peninsula at the Odesa region, but Ukrainian air defence stopped them from hitting critical infrastructure, the military said.

Meanwhile, Moscow accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot in Russia, described by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as “not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the (peace) talks”.

The Ministry of Defence said that the fuel lost from the ruined oil tanks, near the Russian city of Belgorod, could worsen the supply problems hampering the Russian military.

The MoD said Russian troops near Kharkiv – about 40 miles from Belgorod – could be “particularly affected”.

Ukraine denied responsibility for the attack but, if Moscow is correct, it would be the country’s first known incursion into Russian airspace.

Russia has previously reported shelling from Ukraine, including an incident last week that killed a military chaplain, however.

Sky News

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