Town surrounding Kyiv have been recaptured from Russian troops, a Ukrainian defense official said Saturday. "Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel and the whole Kyiv region were liberated from the invader!" Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar posted on an official Facebook page, NBC News reports. Russia had said it planned to de-escalate in the region, per CNN. US officials said Russia has altered its strategy and will try to seize regions in eastern Ukraine by early May. Other developments include: