Ukrainian forces retake areas near Kyiv amid fear of traps

By NEBI QENA and YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops are moving cautiously to retake territory north of the country’s capital as Russian forces retreat from the area. In at least one town, soldiers used cables to pull the bodies of civilians off the streets Saturday out of fear that Russian forces may have set booby-traps before leaving. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned residents that Russian forces are creating a “catastrophic” situation for civilians by leaving mines around homes, abandoned equipment and even corpses. Ukraine and its Western allies reported mounting evidence of Russia withdrawing its forces from around Kyiv and building up troop strength in eastern Ukraine. The shift doesn’t mean the country faces a reprieve from more than five weeks of war.