in Irpin, the Russian forces are retreating, but “the danger remains permanent”, confides a French ambulance driver on the spot

It was a feeling that the inhabitants of Irpin already had, considered as a “lock” to protect the capital kyiv from an offensive, without really believing in it, for a few days. This Tuesday, March 29, Russia confirmed it: the Kremlin announced that it would “radically” reduce its military activity in the regions of kyiv and Cherniguiv in Ukraine.

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During Russian-Ukrainian talks “substantial“In Istanbul, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister, Alexander Fomin, thus indicated, a month after the start of the Russian offensive, that “Negotiations on an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine entering a practical dimension (…), it was decided, to increase confidence, to drastically reduce military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernigiv“. The head of the Russian delegation and representative of the Kremlin, Vladimir Medinski, indicated that Ukraine’s “clear” proposals for an agreement would be “studied very soon and submitted to the President” Vladimir Poutine.

Despite these announcements of appeasement, the Ukrainian forces remain on the alert: according to the soldiers who go up in commando formation in vehicles to leave for Irpin and whom franceinfo was able to meet on Tuesday March 29, the pressure from the Russians is still very strong. The threat remains present: the forces sent by the Kremlin are in Boutcha and Hostomel, neighboring towns to the north.

The road that provides access to the entrance to Irpin is very quickly under threat from shells. At the foot of the buildings that serve as a rear base for a Ukrainian commando, we see the ambulances leaving one by one. In one of them, Nicolas Bourbouze. This Frenchman, although he doesn’t speak Ukrainian, drives a rescue vehicle on this section. He goes as far as the city bridge, deliberately destroyed to prevent Russian tanks from entering. He founded “House of Rescue”, a first aid association.

He believes that the pressure is still strong in the sector: “I go as far as the bridge and pick up either the civilians or the wounded… It’s a permanent danger, because it’s firing shells on the road. At the level of the bridge, there is a small car park on the right where you can take shelter a little bit. But like yesterday, for example, there was heavy artillery fire with heavy caliber. We were blown away even where we were. They target everyone. Just because there’s an ambulance doesn’t mean we can’t get shot“, he explains on franceinfo.

Behind the bridge, Ukrainian volunteers are driving cars to try to extract the last inhabitants who remain entrenched. Andreï explains that he passes by Saborna, the main road, with different vehicles. And, according to him too, the danger is permanent, even if the Ukrainians have made progress. “It’s dangerous because there are a lot of mines, you know, but we have to pick up the people who are underground. There are explosions everywhere”he sighs.

“Almost everyone who wants to leave Irpin has left. The best thing for the people of Irpin today, if possible, is to leave”

With his knife on his forest green bulletproof vest, a Ukrainian soldier also explains that his army is now trying to consolidate the front line in buildings or in trenches. Despite recent announcements, he is wary and suspects the Russians of preparing to advance. For him, the announced release of Irpin is therefore still fragile, not to say unstable.