Vladimir Putin’s retreating troops have begun booby-trapping corpses, Ukraine’s President Zelensky has claimed.
It comes as Russia yesterday vowed to target Brit weapons as they are shipped to Ukraine.
Soldiers leaving the Kyiv outskirts have been laying mines and tripwires in homes, equipment and even among the war dead, claimed Ukraine’s president.
The news came as Kremlin ambassador Andrey Kelin warned our defence secretary Ben Wallace risked making the war even “bloodier”.
It follows reports a Russian helicopter was shot down by a high-velocity portable anti-air missile supplied by the UK, called Starstreak.
A video posted online showed the tail of a Mi-28N helicopter being snapped off over the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine
Wallace had previously vowed to send more “lethal aid” to Ukraine after Russia invaded in February.
Kelin told Kremlin News agency TASS: “All arms supplies are destabilizing, particularly those mentioned by [UK Defense Secretary Ben] Wallace.
“They exacerbate the situation, making it even bloodier. Apparently, those are new, high-precision weapons.
“Naturally, our armed forces will view them as a legitimate target if those supplies get through the Ukrainian border.”
President Zelensky said his troops had taken back at least 30 towns, including Irpin and the Hostomel air base on the outskirts of the capital.
It also regained control of the heavily contaminated Chernobyl nuclear site.
He said that while Ukrainian forces had regained 30 towns in the Kyiv region, the battle raging in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and Kharkiv remained “extremely difficult”.
Zelensky said: “The occupiers are withdrawing forces in the north of our country. The withdrawal is slow but noticeable.
“Somewhere they are expelled with battles. Somewhere they leave positions on their own.”
The MoD said Russian forces were withdrawing from the area around Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces advanced.
The MoD’s intelligence assessment said: “Ukrainian forces continue to advance against withdrawing Russian forces in the vicinity of Kyiv.
“Along the north western axis, Ukrainian forces’ attempts to advance from Irpin towards Bucha and Hostomel are ongoing.
“Russian forces are reported to have withdrawn from Hostomel airport, which has been subject to fighting since the first day of the conflict.
“Along the eastern axis, Ukraine has re-taken several villages.”
Zelensky said more than 3,000 people had escaped the besieged Mariupol – which has faced weeks of ferocious Russian shelling – through a humanitarian corridor in a convoy of buses and cars.
At least 5,000 have been killed in the city and the estimated 160,000 who remain face shortages of food, water and electricity.
Defence sources last night said that Nato is planning to send tanks to Ukraine.
Polish T-72s could start arriving in days.
Zelenskyy has been calling on Nato to send tanks and aircraft to help force the Russians out of his country.
Putin’s negotiators this week said that Russian forces would ease back from attacks on Kyiv and northern Ukraine although shelling has continued and there is a fear that they are simply regrouping.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British Infantry commander, said: “It’s not clear whether the Russians were ever intending to fight through Kiev street by street.
“It is more likely Putin hoped Zelensky would capitulate as soon as Russia invaded and Kiev was threatened.
“Encircling Kiev may also have been intended to fix Ukrainian forces in the city, preventing reinforcements being sent south and east to defend against Russian offensive action there.
“It looks like they now wish to withdraw forces from the Kiev area to complete operations in Donbas.
“That does not mean they won’t continue to attack Kiev and the surrounding area with artillery and air.”
The UK has insisted it will not put troops on the ground in Ukraine but, along with NATO allies, it will supply defensive support to President Zelensky’s troops.
The UK provided 4,000 anti-tank weapons.
