Kyiv, Ukraine — Troops ukrainian began to retake, with great caution, the territory occupied by the forces Russian north of the capital of kyiv and they use cables to drag the bodies of dead civilians out of fear that Russian soldiers will set booby traps or anti-personnel mines to hinder the work.
the ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky Yesterday, Friday, he warned citizens to exercise great caution, as he maintained that the Russian militia has created a “catastrophic” situation by mining the surroundings of homes, abandoned equipment and “even the bodies of those they have killed.” Zelensky’s accusations have not been independently confirmed.
Members of The Associated Press located in Bucha, a northwestern suburb of kyiv, watched Ukrainian soldiers, supported by a column of war tanks and other armored vehicles, use cables to drag the bodies of civilians who died in the streets.
Citizens indicated to The Associated Press that the people who died were civilians against whom the Russian troops, who were ordered to withdraw, opened fire without any provocation.
“Those people were just walking around and they got shot for no reason. In the Stekolka neighborhood the situation was even worse. They just shot without saying a word, ”said a citizen of Bucha who declined to offer his name for security reasons.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and its allies have warned of mounting evidence that Russian forces have withdrawn from areas around kyiv to reinforce their units in the east of the country.
Despite the withdrawal of Russian troops, Ukraine has received no respite from the attacks and bombardments that began five weeks ago and caused the exodus of more than 4 million people. Zelensky argued that several cities could experience missile and artillery rocket attacks, and that the struggle for control of eastern Ukraine could intensify.
“It is still not possible to return to a normal life, as it used to be, even in the territories that we are recapturing,” Zelensky added.
Meanwhile, the siege of the coastal city of Mariupol by Russian forces continues, apparently a major target for Russian President Vladimir Putin. If it finally falls under Russian control, Mariupol would connect by land with the Crimea area, a territory that Russia annexed in 2014.