. . . . Russia Retreats from Kyiv Region: With Russian forces having pulled back from their northern positions near Kyiv after encountering fierce resistance, counter-attacking Ukrainians and photo-journalists have encountered scenes of devastation. . . . The publicly-funded broadcaster asserted that, in fact, Russia’s objectives in the Kyiv region had been thwarted by “unexpectedly fierce and well-organized Ukrainian resistance”, citing “the rusting and twisted wreckage of [an armored] column that still lies where it was destroyed on [a] suburban street” in Bucha as evidence. “There’s nothing to be happy about. Only sorrow for the people who were killed” lamented the soldier, named as Sergeiy Torovik by the British newspaper. Torovik also warned that Ukrainian forces were discovering mines “everywhere”, including in homes and booby-trapping the bodies of the fallen. Comrades said it would take “months” if not “years” to clear the area. “They’ve hidden them everywhere. And some of them are so old, they’re from the First World War,” one said.
