Ukraine says entire Kyiv region recaptured from Russia

Ukraine has regained control of “the whole Kyiv region” after Russian forces retreated from key towns near the Ukrainian capital, Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Maliar said.

“Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel and the whole Kyiv region were liberated from the invader,” Maliar said on Facebook.

All three towns lie northwest of Kyiv and have suffered heavy destruction since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Ukraine presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said its troops have retaken more than 30 towns and villages since Russia pulled back from the area this week.

Mass grave discovered

Almost 300 people have been buried in a mass grave in Bucha, discovered after the Ukrainian army retook control of the key town close to Kyiv.

“In Bucha, we have already buried 280 people in mass graves,” Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told the AFP news agency.

“All these people were shot, killed, in the back of the head,” Fedoruk said.

“According to the mayor, [the dead people] were trying to escape to Ukrainian-held territory when, according to him, they were simply gunned down,” Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Lviv in western Ukraine, said.