As the Russians approached Irpin, the government provided evacuation trains two days after the first shells hit the city.

Even though the wagons were filled with refugees, it was still a tiny part of the population of this city, with 60 000 inhabitants.

The next day, Russian artillery shelled the tracks and cut off the possibility of evacuation by rail.

The situation got complicated. The Ukrainian army blew up the bridge towards Kyiv to cut off the Russian armoured columns.

Now the evacuation is carried out by ford under the destroyed bridge.

The city is under more or less intense but continuous fire. Not only do Ukrainian units fight there, but also civilian targets are hit, such as homes or groups of refugees, including children. The city was depopulated.

Those who have not decided to escape hide in their houses. The more cautious ones hide in the basements of their blocks.

You can mainly meet groups of defenders or homeless dogs on the streets. The bridge is a target for refugees wanting to leave the city and for Russian artillery trying to stop them and disrupt the supply line for the defenders.

Several hundred metres beyond the bridge, evacuation buses wait to take refugees from the danger zone to the point from where they will continue their journey to Kyiv.