in the villages taken back from the hands of the Russians, inhabitants traumatized by the occupation

A crumbling tank and gutted houses: that’s all the Russian army left behind. In the suburbs of kyiv (Ukraine), the village is again controlled by Ukrainian soldiers, after weeks of fighting. For several days, the Ukrainian army has been regaining ground, east and west of kyiv. The city of Irpin (Ukraine) has just been liberated.

The images reveal damage caused by weeks of bombardment. Corpses of civilians litter the streets. More than 200 residents were killed according to the mayor of the city, Oleksandre Markouchine. “In some streets the Russians shot at girls and women, then ran over them with tanks”he reports. Most of the inhabitants who fled Irpin tell chilling stories. A man, in tears, claims in particular to have rescued a young girl raped by Russian soldiers. “I will never forget this story. I will never get there, it’s excruciating. This girl is 15 years old”, he said. Russian troops are also retreating in the south and east of the country. Near Kharkiv (Ukraine), the Ukrainians took over a section of the highway.