At least 13 Russian armoured vehicles around the village of Dmytrivka, five kilometres southwest of the Kyiv suburb Irpin, have been destroyed and abandoned, according to AFP journalists. Ukrainian forces say they have "liberated" a string of Russian-occupied towns and villages near the capital in recent days after Russia said it would scale back attacks on Kyiv. Russia's pullback now appears to be gathering pace, even as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was consolidating for an assault in the country's east and south. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES