Ukraine Says Irpin Suburb Near Capital Kyiv "Liberated"

Ukrainian forces have "liberated" the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky said late Monday in televised remarks.

"In fact, this is now happening in parallel: the armed forces are advancing, the police are advancing, and immediately a sweep is going on completely through the streets... Therefore, the city has now been liberated, but it is still dangerous to be there, " Monastyrsky said.

The town's mayor, Oleksandr Markushin, had earlier on Monday announced on his Telegram channel that Russian troops had been driven out of the town on the strategic northwestern entrance to Kyiv.

The main checkpoint on the road to Irpin from the outskirts of Kyiv was open again on Monday following the announcement by the town's mayor that it had been recaptured, two weeks after it was closed to the media following the death of a US journalist.

But fighting was still going on, with some 20 loud shell explosions in quick succession in the pine forest through which the six kilometre (four mile) road runs, AFP journalists at the scene said.

Russian forces have subjected the town to heavy bombardments as their attempt to encircle the capital Kyiv has stalled.

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