Taking Irpin to Assault and Infiltrate Kyiv

"Dear Alexander, you have the opportunity to save life and health, and maybe improve your financial situation."

"If you are interested in the offer, send a 'plus' sign in a response message. The validity of the message is 24 hours."

Phone message from a Russian number

 

"I am making a public counter-offer to the occupiers."

"If you leave the territory of Irpin within 24 hours, you can save the lives of several thousand Russian conscript soldiers, whose beloved mothers, sisters, daughters and grandmothers are waiting at home."

Oleksandr Markushyn, mayor, Irpin, Kyiv suburb

 

"Keep your family close, and charge up mobiles -- this is our city and our place. We will do everything to protect our citizens."

"At this time, there is no evidence of shots or explosions inside Irpin."

"Stay calm but be ready to go to your hiding places immediately."

Anton, Irpin town official, public announcement, February 24, 2022

Men carry an elderly woman fleeting Irpin, March 10, 2022

 

Irpin, a leafy suburb of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, has been under fire since February 25. Russian military forces view the suburb as a prime spot from which to launch attacks against Kyiv preparatory to taking the city. Early this week, its mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, received a message addressing him directly, that he could fight on and ultimately be killed. Or he could be reasonable and agree to the offer to surrender. An assent would be a return message from him to the Russian source, of a plus sign.

 

His response was immediate, in the character of a minus sign, delivered with a counter-offer, a reasonable enough demand whose sardonic message was measured to sting the receiver. Russia, after all, has steadfastly denied it had sent conscripts to Ukraine, insisting that only seasoned members of the military had been dispatched. Despite confused and frightened mothers of young conscripts publicly demanding to know where their sons are.

The message exchange took place on Monday. By Wednesday Irpin resounded with the sound of bombs and gunfire. The mayor carried on with his evacuation of those citizens of Irpin that still remained. Eight civilians are thought to have died so far in the town, despite the mayor's spokesman speaking of a higher number of deaths: "I would say that at least 50 people have died already. It is chaos there -- the Russians are not observing any kind of ceasefire."

 

Bodies are placed in a mass grave outside Mariupol on March 9, 2022. With overflowing morgues and repeated shelling the city is unable to conduct proper burials.

 

There is a green belt of forest separating the satellite town of Irpin from Kyiv, situated on its northwest fringe. The town of 60,000 inhabitants represented a sought-after commuter suburb. Its parks and new housing estates was popular with young families. Now, the town is largely under the control of the Russian military, a foothold on Kyiv's outskirts to enable assaults on the capital.

Most of the town's residents have fled to Kyiv, leaving all they own behind; their homes, belongings, jobs, schools, friends -- and unforgivably, pets. In the first days of the Russian invasion, the reality of their situation had not yet penetrated the population, where the ideal place to raise a family was so suddenly transformed into a conflict zone. Before the war a list of addresses for local emergency shelters was circulated along with locations for blood-giving.

One post that circulated throughout the community by the residents' messaging service set up on the Viber mobile phone app, read: "If you hear shots or bombs coming in (a certain type of whistle), immediately fall to the ground. In any case, do not run". Then, on the morning of February 25 there were explosions that got progressively louder and closer throughout the day.

Photographs were posted by residents of Russian tanks in the street. There were claims that the invaders were seen changing into civilian clothing. In such apparel the Russian servicemen are able to infiltrate into Kyiv without being noticed, to do their work as saboteurs, from the interior of the city radioing messages to guide the bombers to identified locales such as government offices -- or hospitals.

Destroyed Russian tanks are seen, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022. Irina Rybakova/Press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces/Handout via REUTERS

Unfortunately for the invaders plans are not quite going according to schedule, which had it that it would take no more than a week before the superior forces of the Russian military would overwhelm the unprepared and lesser-militarily equipped Ukrainian military. Russian commanders failed to reckon on the resolve of the defenders of the country, both military and ordinary citizens who have taken up arms, buoyed by the prospect of hitting back and stopping the Russian advance. A defence that appears to be working very well, to date.