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Ukraine: Bodies, destroyed tanks line streets as Russia retreats

As Russian forces pull back from Ukraine’s capital region, retreating troops leave behind a trail of bodies and mines.

A boy looks at a destroyed Russian tank after recent battles in Bucha
A boy looks at a destroyed Russian tank in Bucha. [Oleksandr Ratushniak/AP Photo]
Published On 3 Apr 2022

About 300 residents had been killed on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital during a monthlong occupation by the Russian army, authorities said, with the streets littered with corpses.

Locals said the dead in Bucha were civilians killed by departing Russian soldiers without provocation. Anti-tank mines were scattered across a bridge in Bucha.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned residents that Russian forces were creating a “catastrophic” situation for civilians by leaving mines around homes, abandoned equipment and even corpses.

Ukraine’s troops have retaken more than 30 towns and villages around Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched its invasion on February 24.

After five weeks of fighting, Russia pulled back forces that had threatened Kyiv from the north. Experts and Ukrainian leaders say Russia has now shifted focus to eastern Ukraine.

A dog stands between destroyed Russian armored vehicles
Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles in the city of Bucha. [Aris Messinis/AFP]
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Local residents ride bicycles past flattened civilian cars
Local residents ride bicycles past flattened civilian cars in the town of Bucha. [Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters]
A volunteer inspects a body of a killed person
A volunteer inspects a corpse in the town of Bucha. [Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters]
Ukrainian servicemen stand next to the body of man
Ukrainian servicemen stand next to the body of a man in civilian clothing. [Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo]
A man and child on a bicycle come across the body of a civilian lying on a street
A man and a child on a bicycle come across the body of a civilian lying on the street. [Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo]
Ukrainian servicemen check streets for booby traps
Ukrainian servicemen check streets for booby traps as Russian troops are retreating. [Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo]
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Ukrainian soldiers walk next to destroyed Russians armored vehicles
Ukrainian soldiers walk next to destroyed Russian armoured vehicles. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
A Ukrainian soldier looks at a damaged bridge in Bucha
A Ukrainian soldier looks at a damaged bridge in Bucha. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
Anti-tank mines are spread out on a bridge in Bucha
Anti-tank mines are spread out on a bridge in Bucha. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]