Russian forces are placing land mines around homes, abandoned equipment, and even corpses as they pull back from around Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday.
According to The Associated Press, Zelensky said these mines are creating a "catastrophic" situation for civilians who might want to return to their homes. "There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers," he added, per NBC News.
Russia is a signatory to the international Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which prohibits placing mines or booby traps on or near "sick, wounded, or dead persons."
A Russian deputy foreign minister announced Tuesday that Russian forces would "reduce military activity" around Kyiv, though a U.S. official warned that "no one should be fooled" by the announcement and that "any movement of Russian forces from around Kyiv" is likely "a redeployment, not a withdrawal."
Despite the deputy minister's assurances, Russian troops have continued shelling Ukraine's capital region.