All information in Central European Time (CET).
23:10 | Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister said “the entire Kyiv region” was liberated
Ukrainian forces have regained control of “the entire Kyiv region” after the withdrawal of Russian forces from strategic cities near the capital, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar announced on Saturday (February 4, 2022).
The cities “Irpin, Bucha, Gostómel and the entire Kyiv region were liberated from the invaders,” Maliar said on Facebook.
22:17 | According to Ukraine’s chief negotiator, there will soon be a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are advanced enough for a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be held soon, Ukrainian delegation head Deputy David Arahamiya said on Saturday.
According to Arahamiya, Putin himself said in a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan on Friday that he was “ready for such a meeting to be organized in the near future” and that it “will very likely be held in Istanbul or Ankara.” .”
21:42 | Duke expresses support for Zelenskyy and dismisses “heinous attack” on Ukraine
Colombian President Iván Duque spoke by phone this Saturday to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, to whom he expressed his country’s support in the face of Russia’s “heinous” and “disproportionate” attack on Ukraine and highlighted the humanitarian aid provided to the Ukrainian people.
The call was “a moving call,” Duque said. He also stressed that Zelenskyi “showed the world his courage” and was “an example of defending his people’s sovereignty”, while insisting on “condemnation” of the Russian attacks.
21:23 | 280 bodies buried “in mass graves” in the Ukrainian city of Bucha
Around 300 people had to be buried “in mass graves” in Bucha, said the mayor of the city northwest of Kyiv, which has just been recaptured by Ukrainian forces after weeks of bombing and fierce fighting with Russian troops.
“In Bucha we have already buried 280 people in mass graves,” Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told the AFP news agency.
19:16 | The Red Cross manages to enter Irpin and bring humanitarian aid
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced this Saturday that it had managed to visit the town of Irpin, in the western suburbs of Kyiv, which is the scene of some of the worst clashes in Ukraine’s war and was able to provide humanitarian aid to the 3,500 people who are still in it.
Of the 60,000 residents who lived in this commuter town before the war, there are now about 3,500, said Alyona Synenko, a local ICRC official, who stressed that seeing their situation is a priority right now.
18:21 | About 2,700 civilians were evacuated from Lugansk
Ukrainian authorities on Saturday evacuated 2,700 civilians from the East Lugansk region, which is partly controlled by the Russian army and separatist forces, regional sources said.
One official explained that the evacuation took place “under fire from the Russian army”: Of the 2,700 evacuees, about 1,800 were from the city of Lychizansk and the surrounding area, several hundred from Severodonetsk and smaller groups from other cities.
18:08 | Agency reports 20 dead bodies in Ukrainian city
The bodies of at least 20 people in civilian clothes were scattered this Saturday on a street in Bucha, a town northeast of Kyiv, which was recovered by Ukrainian forces after Russian troops invaded, an AFP journalist reported.
One of the bodies had his hands tied, the reporter said. The bodies were scattered over several hundred meters without the cause of death being known so far.
16:34 | Nearly 180 people arrested in Russia for protesting the invasion of Ukraine
“More than 178 people were arrested this Saturday in 15 Russian cities” for protesting against the offensive in Ukraine, said the NGO OVD-Info, which specializes in monitoring arrests in the country.
The organizers also said in a statement that they were demonstrating against “the collapse of the Russian economy, against Putin” and for the release of imprisoned opponent Alexei Navalni.
16:23 | Ex-boxer and brother of the mayor of Kyiv thanks Germany for its support
Former Ukrainian boxer Vladímir Klitschkó, brother of Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschkó, said this Saturday that Berlin’s support for Kyiv was “remarkable” and stressed “whether it’s material aid, essential goods or weapons” is the Answer the “reasonable”.
“Ukraine and Germany jointly defend international law and the fundamental value of freedom,” he said after a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the foreign, economics and finance ministers on Friday. “History is witness and will not forget it,” he added.
afp/reuters/ap/dpa/efe/rr