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On Saturday Ukraine Defense Minister Hanna Malyar announced that “The whole Kyiv region is liberated from the invader, "in her Facebook post. And Ukraine now has full control of the capital city and surrounding areas.

 Ukraine’s army has retaken 30 towns and villages. And this is the first time since the February 24th Russian invasion that Ukraine has claimed control of the Kyiv region.

The Russian forces have been trying to encircle the capital city of Kyiv for five weeks. The bombardment of the area has destroyed homes and buildings.  And Ukraine has been fighting back.

The Russian military has been hit with unprecedented losses on the battlefield. And they have inflicted a lot of pain on the civilian population. 

As Russian soldiers head to the east, defense ministry officials warn that a “catastrophic” situation has been left for civilians. Civilian bodies litter suburban streets and some of them are booby-trapped. 

Many buildings are mined. And a mass grave was discovered in Bucha.

Ukraine’s troops entering the recaptured towns are finding destroyed and abandoned tanks and other military equipment. And dozens of bodies are scattered in the streets.

Northwest of Kyiv in the town of Bucha, Ukrainian soldiers pulled the bodies of civilians off the streets with cables. Using cables was the only way to avoid the booby-traps left by the Russians in some of the bodies.

Mass graves in the Kyiv region

Bucha authorities claim to have found a mass grave. The victims buried there included women, as well as a 14-year-old boy. 

“In Bucha, we have already buried 280 people in mass graves,” according to Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk. He said the destroyed town’s streets are littered with corpses. The victims buried there included women, as well as a 14-year-old boy. 

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

Graphic videos and images of bodies littered streets are being circulated online.

Images of bodies of at least 20 men in civilian clothes were shown. In a residential area, bodies lie in the street, some entangled with bicycles. All wearing civilian clothes. One body had his hands tied behind him.

The Associated Press photographed at least six bodies. All seem to be civilians killed by departing Russian soldiers.

The town was devastated by the fighting. Gaping holes left by the Russian shelling and burned-out cars litter the streets.

UPDATE: Russia is denying any civilians were killed in their actions. And claims images are all staged.