Ukraine says it has recaptured city of Brovary but warns of mines left by Russians

A key city east of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has been recaptured from Russian forces, Ukrainian officials have said, but retreating troops were said to be heavily mining the lost territory in their wake.

Russia has continued withdrawing some of its ground forces from areas around the capital after saying earlier this week it would reduce military activity near the Ukrainian capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.

But in his regular address in the early hours of Saturday, Zelenskiy said the satellite towns around the city were being indiscriminately booby-trapped.

The invasion has left thousands dead and driven more than 4 million refugees from Ukraine.

Mariupol, the shattered and besieged southern port city, has seen some of the worst suffering of the war. Its capture would be a major prize for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, giving his country an unbroken land bridge to Crimea, seized from Ukraine in 2014.

On Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said it was unable to carry out an operation to bring civilians out of Mariupol by bus. City authorities said the Russians were blocking access to the city.

About 100,000 people are believed to remain in the city, down from a prewar 430,000. Weeks of Russian bombardment and street fighting have caused severe shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine.

On Thursday, Russian forces blocked a 45-bus convoy attempting to evacuate people from Mariupol and seized 14 tonnes of food and medical supplies bound for the city, Ukrainian authorities said.

Zelenskiy said more than 3,000 people were able to leave Mariupol on Friday. He said he discussed the humanitarian disaster with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, by telephone and with the president of the European parliament, Roberta Metsola, during her visit to Kyiv.