Ukrainian Forces Retake Control of Key Town Outside Kyiv, Mayor Claims

Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 10, 2022. Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

A town on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital has been retaken by Ukrainian forces, the mayor of the town claimed.

“We have good news today—Irpin has been liberated,” the mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushyn, said in a video post on Telegram. “We understand that there will be more attacks on our town and we will defend it courageously.”

Irpin is a commuter town near Kyiv located on the Irpin River in Kyiv Oblast province, right next to the country’s capital.

The Epoch Times can not verify the accuracy of the claim.

Russian forces have been trying to take Kyiv for almost a month. But logistics and sustainment problems and resistance from Ukrainian forces slowed down the process and the Russian soldiers have been unable to take Kyiv as the war enters its 35th day.

Irpin has become a key battleground during the fighting over Kyiv.

Drone footage captured by a Ukrainian journalist on March 24 shows homes in Irpin burning and widespread destruction caused by Russian shelling.

Ukrainian soldiers carry a wounded woman during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 8, 2022. Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, which was described by Russia’s government as a “special military operation.”

The United Nations said that as of March 25, 1,081 civilians were killed in Ukraine because of Russia’s military actions and nearly 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began.

The two sides appear to have reached some common ground after weeks of negotiations but are still struggling in some areas including territory, Ukraine’s disarmament, and Ukraine’s rectification process of the deal.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that face-to-face talks with Ukraine will resume in Turkey on Tuesday.

However, he said there was no breakthrough but refused to disclose details.

“The delegation is leaving for Turkey today. We expect that theoretically this may happen tomorrow,” he told Russian state media TASS. “Regrettably, we cannot say there have been any significant achievements or breakthroughs so far.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Japan's lower house of parliament via video link at the House of Representatives office building in Tokyo, Japan on March 23, 2022. Behrouz Mehri - Pool/Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted that he will prioritize the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine in the coming talks.

“Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective guarantees of security are a must. Obviously, our goal is peace and return to normal life in our country as soon as possible,” he said late Sunday in a video address to the Ukrainian people.

Reuters and Katabella Roberts contributed to the report.