Irpinė commemorates two years since it was liberated from Russian troops / Article

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Latvian Radio in Ukraine: Irpinė commemorates two years since it was liberated from Russian troops

A destroyed bridge, shot through cars on the so-called “Road of Life”, or the section of the road through which people tried to escape from the city under Russian bullets – these are just some of the images that shocked people around the world.

It was the initial stage of a full-scale invasion, when Russian troops had approached the capital Kyiv and occupied a number of surrounding areas, including one part of Irpina, while fierce battles took place right there on the streets of the town for the rest of the town.

The Ukrainian army, local territorial defense units and also some Latvian freelancers, who had come to join the Ukrainian fight against the aggressor state, were present in Irpin and together they fought fiercely, protecting it from complete capture.

It is believed that the fierce resistance of the Ukrainians to the invader in Irpin also explains why there were fewer civilians killed in this place than in the neighboring Bucha, where they were massacred by the occupying forces.

The ability to stand up to Russian troops in Irpin is highly appreciated in Ukraine itself, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has awarded it the status of Hero City. But the price this place paid, and has continued to pay, is high.

“Today we can look into the eyes of our heroes – on the posters. Last year we had 60 of them. Sixty men who died defending Irpina and defending Ukraine,” Oleksandrs Markushin, the mayor of this town, addressed the residents in the central square of Irpina on Thursday. “Today is 126. Look what a number.. I want to scream! 126 our heroes from our municipality. This is the price we pay for being able to be here now and remember and honor our heroes because they gave the most precious that they had. They gave their lives for us all.”

At the place from where Markushin addressed the people, an alley of heroes has been created with large commemorative posters for fallen soldiers.

In the central square of Irpina, the residents of the city and also the relatives of the deceased gathered on Thursday. Some of those gathered were presented with orders for bravery, which were awarded to fallen soldiers after their death. The atmosphere was very emotional – for many, it’s still a hard thing to go through, which has changed their lives forever.

In memory of the fallen soldiers, not only the posters of the killed soldiers are placed in the central square, but also an interactive memorial book, where everyone can find the person they are interested in and read a more detailed description about them.

And the soldiers were commemorated on Thursday not only in the city’s central square, but also in the Irpina cemetery, where a memorial service was held for all the fallen. There is also an alley of trial heroes, where people came to lay flowers from the very morning.

The feelings with which the residents welcomed this day are very different.

On the one hand, it is a joy that the city has been liberated and can now live a semi-normal life – as much as it is possible under constant rocket attacks.

On the other hand, the front has left its indelible features on the streets of Irpiņa.

Houses destroyed in the war can still be seen in some places in the city, and the large pile of shot-through cars has not been taken anywhere.

People tried to run away with them, but the cars were shot through by bullets. If people survived, they left them there.

When the Ukrainians regained control of the city, these cars were collected in one pile. Now these metal frames are covered with rust and Ukrainian drawings – angels intercepting projectiles drawn on a car. Other shot cars are decorated with sunflowers, thus symbolizing the life force of Ukrainians.

Irpinė commemorates two years since the city was liberated from Russian troops

Photo: Indra Sprance / Latvijas Radio

“Today, I am happy that we are more or less calm, but we are still shooting. We want to survive until victory, because we have grandchildren who need to be helped to grow up. In general, we need to live,” said Olha, a resident of Irpinas, who was interviewed by Latvian Radio.

“We want peace already. We want rockets to stop flying over Irpina, because when they are sent to Kyiv, they fly over our house – just like back then. At that time, we went through something like that… there were Russians on one street, and ours on the other, and everything was through us. Right above the house. Those planes, helicopters, projectiles… all our doors were littered with fragments of projectiles. God had mercy – we were not hit. Very hard. I wish there was peace and victory sooner. God forbid the Russians would win,” said Tetyana meanwhile.

Buildings damaged in the war are being actively restored in Irpin. The huge multi-storied building, about the restoration of which Latvian Radio reported about half a year ago, was now restored to such an extent that it is almost impossible to recognize it anymore.

In Irpina, there is even a whole block of private residential houses, which is being built from scratch. For many buildings, the essential works have already been completed. True, there is no such scene in all of Ukraine. Irpina and Bucha, as the most severely damaged cities, were actually the first to get the funds to start the reconstruction, but Ukraine is in dire need of money to continue the work.

The Russian state assets frozen in Europe and the USA could be a good support for this, so it is important that these funds reach Ukraine as soon as possible.

CONTEXT:

Russia’s unjustified and Kiev’s unprovoked large-scale invasion of Ukraine began 2022. 24 of the year In February. The Kremlin’s propaganda brazenly promised to capture Kyiv in three days, but the selfless and strong resistance of the Ukrainians prevented the Kremlin from realizing its plans.

After the setbacks, the Kremlin withdrew the army from the Kyiv region, but continued the offensive in other regions. In the autumn of 2022, the Ukrainian army managed to liberate in successful operations Kharkiv region and part Kherson regionincreasing expectations for the possibility of defeating the opponent.

However, the Ukrainian counter-offensive launched in the summer of 2023 was not so successful, which the Ukrainian army explains both by the insufficient supply of weapons from the Western allies and by the extensive defense line and extensive minefields created by the Russian army. Now there are reports that at the front the war of positions has begun with the grueling battles and must prepare for a long time for support to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia regularly attacks civilian targets and is expected to target energy infrastructure, as it did last year.