Ukraine retakes key Kyiv suburb; battle for Mariupol rages

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) —
Ukraine said it retook a strategically important suburb of Kyiv on Tuesday, as Russian forces squeezed other areas near the capital and pressed their attack on the embattled southern port of Mariupol.

Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv, and black smoke rose from a spot in the north. Intensified artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russia has sought to encircle and capture several suburban areas of the capital, a crucial target.

Residents sheltered at home or underground under a 35-hour curfew imposed by city authorities that runs to Wednesday morning.

Russian forces also continued their siege of Mariupol after the southern port city's defenders refused demands to surrender, with fleeing civilians describing relentless bombardments and corpses lying in the streets.

But the Kremlin's ground offensive in other parts of the country advanced slowly or not at all, knocked back by lethal hit-and-run attacks by the Ukrainians.

Early Tuesday, Ukrainian troops drove Russian forces out of the Kyiv suburb of Makariv after a fierce battle, Ukraine's Defence Ministry said.

The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway and block Russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the northwest.

Still, the Defence Ministry said Russian forces were able to partially take other northwest suburbs, Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, some of which had been under attack almost since Russia's military invaded almost a month ago.

Russia's invasion has driven more than 10 million people from their homes, almost a quarter of Ukraine's pre-war population, according to the United Nations.

The U.N. has confirmed 953 civilian deaths while saying the real toll is probably much higher.

Estimates of Russian military casualties in the grinding war have been hard to come by and vary, but even conservative figures by Western officials are in the low thousands.

Russia has not given an update since it said March 2 that 498 soldiers had been killed in action in Ukraine. Russia's pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, citing the Defence Ministry, briefly reported Monday that almost 10,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.

The report was quickly removed, and newspaper blamed hackers.

The Kremlin refused to comment on Tuesday.

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