Ukrainian civilians and soldiers celebrate in the streets as Russians pull back from areas around Kyiv

This couple celebrated the withdrawal of Russian forces from the village of Bucha, north of Kyiv. (AP: Vadim Ghirda)

Civilians whose towns and villages were occupied by Russian troops laying siege to Kyiv have been celebrating the invaders' withdrawal.

More than 30 towns and villages around Kyiv have been retaken by Ukrainian forces as Russian troops retreat.

"The whole Kyiv region is liberated from the invader," Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Facebook.

Warning: This story contains an image of a dead body.

Russia says it is pulling back its forces to regroup for battles further east.

More than 4 million civilians have fled Ukraine in the 39 days since the war began.

Ukrainian soldiers celebrate at a checkpoint in Bucha. (AP: Rodrigo Abd)

But now some of those who could not escape have emerged from their hiding places in areas around the capital.

Those sheltering in Bucha, north of Kyiv, have had no electricity, water or gas since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Neighbours congregated to cook on open fires outside. (AP: Vadim Ghirda)

Civilians rejoiced on the streets, cooking shared meals and swapping stories of survival.

A Ukranian soldier during a pick-up game in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv. (AP: Rodrigo Abd)

A Ukrainian soldier tries unsuccessfully to feed milk to a puppy in the village of Motyzhyn. (AP: Vadim Ghirda)

A convoy of Ukrainian forces bringing food and aid was met with tears.

Aid convoys were met with tears of relief. (AP: Vadim Ghirda)

The lack of a Russian military presence in the streets does not, however, signify safety for those who remain.

More than 400 bodies were found in the streets of the reclaimed villages, said Ukraine’s prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova.

And Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned some of the corpses had been booby trapped by withdrawing Russian troops.

"They are mining all this territory. Houses are mined, equipment is mined, even the bodies of dead people," he said.

A soldier uses a piece of wood to check a body for booby traps. The ABC has blurred the original photo. (AP: Vadim Ghirda)

Ukraine's emergency services said more than 1,500 explosive devices had been found in one day during a search of the village of Dmytrivka, west of Kyiv.

ABC/wires