Ukraine round-up: Residents rebuild Bucha as Russia bans UK PM

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Image caption,

Local residents take selfies on remains of Russian equipment

Since Russian forces ended their occupation of areas north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a few residents of towns such as Bucha have been starting the massive task of rebuilding their lives.

As the BBC's Anna Foster reports, most people are yet to return, and there's just one small, hardy group who are trying to pave the way for others to come back.

Sergei and his wife arrived at their flat five days ago. Now they and their neighbours are trying to rebuild their damaged homes, and clearing away the debris of countless Russian shells.

"You always want to come back home", he says. "So we used our first chance to return as well. And we used our chance to make sure that all the property is safe, even from locals that might come and steal something."

But making these towns safe again will be a huge job.

Explosions in Kyiv and Lviv

Image source, Getty Images

Fresh air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday.

One person was killed and several wounded in Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Air defences were trying to protect people, Mr Klitschko said on his Telegram channel, "but the enemy is ruthless".

"You forget sometimes that you're still afraid of every sound, even if it comes from your neighbour's house, or if someone bangs a car door... No words can describe how scary it is," local resident Anna Budko told the BBC.

The Russian defence ministry said it was targeting a military factory in the capital.

Explosions were also reported in the western city of Lviv. Officials said air defences destroyed four Russian cruise missiles.

Senior UK ministers banned from Russia

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Russia has banned UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior ministers from entering Russia over what it described as their "hostile" attitude towards the war in Ukraine.

The others mentioned in the ban include Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Moscow said the decision was taken in response to sanctions imposed by the UK since the invasion.

"London's unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for containing our country and strangling the domestic economy" had prompted its decision, it added.

The UK government said it remained resolute in its support for Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden has been subject to a similar ban since March.

First pictures of Moskva crew since sinking

The Russian defence ministry has published images showing what it says is the crew of the warship Moskva - the first time any sailors from the ship have been seen since its sinking.

A large group of sailors is seen on parade in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, met by Navy Commander-in-Chief Adm Nikolay Yevmenov.

The Moskva was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet.

The ship's demise has been described as a huge blow to Russian morale.

Media caption,

Watch: Russia releases video they say shows surviving crew of the sunken ship Moskva

The video shows Adm Yevmenov and two other officers standing on a parade ground in front of about 100 sailors.

It is not clear when the meeting took place.

Read our full story here.

Cosmetics chain closes Russian shops

Image source, Getty Images

French cosmetics chain L'Occitane says it will close its Russian shops and website, citing the "enormous human suffering and escalating military action in Ukraine".

The chain had originally said it would keep the shops open to protect staff from potential "retaliation", but some customers had criticised the decision and called for a boycott.

Its products are sold at more than 3,085 retail outlets worldwide and had sales of €1.5bn (£1.3bn) last year.

Hundreds of international brands including L'Oreal and Estee Lauder have already closed shops and ceased online sales in Russia in protest at the war in Ukraine.

Read more here about which firms have pulled out, and which are still operating in Russia.

Patron's dogged minesweeping

A Jack Russell has been hard at work helping to remove explosive devices left behind by Russian troops.

Patron is currently working in the Chernihiv region, north of Kyiv, and has so far helped to remove hundreds of devices.

Media caption,

Watch: Minesweeping dog helps clear away Russian explosives

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