“We wanted to stay until the end”, testify the last civilians who flee Irpin

In Irpin, 30 kilometers northwest of Kiev (Ukraine), a stream of refugees rushes out of the city to flee the bombardments. In this strategic city, which would allow the Russians to approach the Ukrainian capital, fighting took place again on Tuesday, March 8. Part of the town is in ruins and several civilians have been killed in the previous days.

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A pine forest, a river, a bridge mined by the Ukrainians to slow down the advance of the Russians, a wooden plank across the current to help the refugees to cross, to leave Irpin, their town, there behind. Their city disfigured. A stream of refugees rushes to the exit of the city to flee the bombardments. Irpin, 30 kilometers northwest of Kiev, is a strategic city that would allow the Russians to approach the Ukrainian capital, fighting took place again on Tuesday 8 March. Part of the town is in ruins and several civilians have been killed in the previous days.

The last civilians therefore try to flee. They leave behind them a disfigured city. “Almost all the houses in our neighborhood are destroyed. So we just took a few things and left”, says Valentina, 74, who can barely walk. With her daughter Svetlana, they drag themselves on the road with their small suitcase. “My husband saw many civilians killed in the street”assures Svetlana, while artillery fire echoes on both sides of the river.

“There are shootings all over the city, more gas, more electricity… It’s very dangerous.”

Svetlana, resident of Irpin fleeing to the West

at franceinfo

Police and soldiers try to control the flow of refugees, but confusion reigns: old helpless people struggle to climb the embankment, cars from Kiev come to pick up their relatives, ambulances start with a bang… “We are evacuating all the wounded to Kiev. For three days, we have been doing just that”explains a woman.

In the crowd, an energetic little woman walks faster than everyone else. “I didn’t want to leave because I didn’t want to leave my cat. But I asked the neighbor to keep it for me”smiles Vera, 69 years old. “There, I’m going to Lviv to find my son and his wife”, she slips as if it were just behind the pine forest. Yet Lviv is more than 500 kilometers away.

In the flow of refugees, we see white coats under heavy coats. “We are the caregivers of the hospital, says Alexandra, endocrinologist at the hospital, surrounded by a few colleagues. We wanted to stay until the end but nothing is working on the spot. More water, more electricity, more gas. We managed to escape from the city but we don’t know if our other colleagues will be able to join us. There are bombs there and there are still wounded civilians to treat. I have no words…no words.”

In this procession of misfortunes, many old people. Like this couple, an 85-year-old man and woman. “We walked four kilometers in the snow. My husband is almost blind and we don’t know where to go. We have no children, no family. We were following our neighbors but we lost sight of them. We are alone”, she slips forward. Behind them, more elderly people, in even worse shape. A hospice in Irpin has just been evacuated. An old lady is transported in a wheelbarrow, another in a supermarket cart, her arms dangling, looking haggard. “Many of our residents do not understand what is happening. And those who understand, they pray to God”testifies Lydia, a nurse at the hospice.

AT the back of an ambulance, standing, an old gentleman with an impassive face, staring into space. This may be the last time he sees the town of Irpin.