While the threat to the capital Kyiv has receded, it is growing in the east, warned President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “This is going to be a tough battle, we believe in this fight and our victory. We are ready to fight at the same time and look for diplomatic ways to put an end to this war,” he said. Officials urged citizens to leave the area immediately. Mr Zelenskyy’s comments came after a meeting with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Kyiv, where he also hosted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday. In other developments: • The United Kingdom will send 120 armored vehicles and anti-ship missile systems to Kyiv • Western and Ukrainian information indicates that Russian forces are moving south and east • Russians use improvised explosive devices to damage Ukrainian “Hasty withdrawal” from Kyiv region saw Russians abandoning tanks, vehicles and artillery Latest updates on Ukraine as Boris Johnson pays surprise visit to Kyiv Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:59 p.m. greets the “hero” Zelensky in Kyiv Elements of mass graves and hostages used as human shields The United Kingdom’s defense force says Russia’s departure from the north leaves behind evidence of “disproportionate” targeting of innocent civilians, the use of hostages as human shields and the discovery of mass graves. “Russian forces continue to use IEDs to inflict casualties, reduce morale and restrict Ukraine’s freedom of movement,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “Russian forces also continue to attack infrastructure targets with a high risk of collateral damage to civilians, including a nitric acid tank in Rubizhne.” Subscribe to Ukraine War Calendars on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker The Pentagon’s latest briefing came as Mr Johnson paid a visit to Kyiv, where he confirmed that the United Kingdom would provide new military assistance, the Pentagon said on Friday. The United Kingdom will send 120 armored vehicles and anti-ship missile systems and will guarantee an additional 500 500 million in World Bank lending to Ukraine, subject to parliamentary approval. Earlier, the Ukrainian parliament wrote on Twitter: “We welcome Boris Johnson to Kyiv, the first G7 leader to arrive in Ukraine since the start of the large-scale war. “We are strengthening the union of our democracies. Be brave, like Boris. Be brave, like Ukraine.” “We pay a very expensive price” Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would not meet until the country defeats Russia in the east, which would strengthen its negotiating position. “We are paying a very high price. But Russia must get rid of its imperial illusions,” he was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s Interfax news agency. People still living in towns and villages in the east told Sky News about their fears of Russia’s withdrawal from Kyiv. One woman called her village “the shield of Mykolaiv” – a port city and shipyard in the Black Sea, which blocks Russia’s road to the Odessa trade hub. But many there remain provocative and reluctant to evacuate. Also in the east, volunteers enlist in the town of Barvinkove to fight on the front lines. A member of the Ukrainian battalion there told Sky News: “I see them as human beings, but after the things they did in Butsa, they must die.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 4:01 Volunteers prepare for battle in eastern Ukraine Now, in its seventh week, the Russian invasion has forced about a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people to flee their homes. The war has turned cities into ruins and has killed and injured thousands. The death toll has sparked a wave of international condemnation. On Friday, at least 50 people – including children – were killed in a rocket attack on a train station in the town of Kramatorsk, where thousands of people had gathered to flee.
