Ukraine has regained control of the entire area of its capital, kyiv, the country's deputy defense minister, Hanna Malyar, said on Saturday.
"The entire kyiv region is liberated from the invader," she said in a Facebook post.
The news comes after Russia said on Tuesday that it would reduce its operations in kyiv and Chernihiv.
As Russian troops left the capital, fears of mine use also increased.
Control of the territory was declared amid the actions of the Ukrainians who are removing the corpses of civilians with cables to confirm that there are no weapons set as booby traps.
A woman hugs a Ukrainian soldier in Bucha, northwest of kyiv, on April 2, 2022. AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of the situation in a video on Saturday saying Russian troops were leaving the city in a "catastrophic" situation, setting up explosives around houses and "the bodies of the dead".
The Associated Press news agency reported that the Ukrainian troops took their positions in the city of Bucha, located in the kyiv region, and in the Antonov airport of Hostomel, after regaining control.
[Russia begins to withdraw from Chernobyl after its soldiers received "significant doses" of radiation]
During the five weeks since the invasion began, kyiv had been one of the areas that most interested the Russians, since it is the political, economic and cultural center of the country.
This withdrawal
does not represent the end of the conflict since in other cities the fighting continues.
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Zelenskyy said that "it is still not possible to return to normal life, as before, not even in the territories that we are recovering after the fighting." He assured that we must wait until it is verified that even mines and there will be no new bombings.
According to military analysts quoted by The Associated Press news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to control Donbas after his forces have failed to secure kyiv and other major cities.
Zelenskyy talks about the peace negotiations}
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, spoke this Saturday with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, about the peace negotiations with Russia that are taking place.
Johnson "commended Ukraine's brave armed forces for successfully pushing back Russia's invading army in several areas, but recognized the enormous challenges that lie ahead and the immense suffering that the conflict has inflicted on civilians," a spokesman said. of Downing Street.
[Residents unable to leave Mariupol. Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking an oil deposit on its territory]
Johnson briefed Zelenskyy during last week's military donor conference and said he would continue to help with defensive support.
"President Zelenskyy also updated the status of the peace negotiations and welcomed further UK involvement in these diplomatic efforts," the spokesman said.
"Both leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to increase sanctions to increase economic pressure on Putin's war machine, while Russian troops remain on Ukrainian territory."
They try to evacuate Mariupol again
On Saturday 4,200 Ukrainians were evacuated from Mariupol due to escalating attacks.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk assured that 300 residents of the port in the south of the country, one of the most affected areas, were transferred to the city of Berdyansk.
The rest of the people from different cities were relocated to Luhansk and Zaporizhia.
[Residents unable to leave Mariupol. Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking an oil deposit on its territory]
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that attempts to evacuate civilians had failed on Friday due to "impossible" conditions.
Tens of thousands remain trapped in the port that has been under siege since the first days of the war more than five weeks ago, with little access to food and water.
The Red Cross sent a team to the front of a convoy of 54 buses, but they failed to enter the city.
Six other humanitarian corridors would also be opened, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said in a statement on her Telegram channel.
With information from
NBC News
and
The Associated Press