Zelensky: Russian troops are 'slowly but noticeably' moving away from northern Ukraine

Russian troops are "slowly but noticeably" moving away from northern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Friday.

“The occupiers are withdrawing forces in the north of our country. The retreat is slow but noticeable. Somewhere they are driven out with battles. Somewhere they leave positions on their own,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky also urged Ukrainians to remain cautious in the north as troops withdraw.

"We're going forward. Moving carefully. And everyone who returns to this area should also be very careful. It is still impossible to return to normal life as before. Even in the areas we return to after the fighting. You'll have to wait. Wait for our land to be cleansed. Wait until you can be sure that further bombardment is impossible,” he said.

In eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said preparations are underway for further Russian attacks in the Donbas region and the country's second largest city, Kharkiv.

“In the east of our country, the situation remains extremely difficult. Russian armies are accumulating in Donbas, in the direction of Kharkiv. They are preparing for new powerful blows. We are preparing for an even more active defense,” Zelensky said.

"Humanitarian catastrophe": Zelensky added that 6,266 people were rescued through the evacuation corridors in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia on Friday.

Zelensky also commented on a conversation he had with French President Emmanuel Macron in which they discussed the humanitarian situation in the beleaguered southern port city of Mariupol.

“Europe has no right to react silently to what is happening in our Mariupol. The whole world must react to this humanitarian catastrophe," Zelensky said.