As the war in Ukraine rages in the south and east, some residents of the Kyiv satellite towns are tentatively returning home, after Russian forces withdrew and shocked the world with the carnage they left in their wake. FRANCE 24 reports.
Several weeks after Russian troops withdrew from northern Ukraine, leaving behind evidence of unspeakable events in the Kyiv suburbs, French-trained baker Danylo returned to the commuter town Irpin to see what was supposed to be his new bakery. Danylo was just relieved that the building was still standing – unlike others on the street.
Danylo left on the fifth day of the war. Upon returning to Irpin he met up with his friend Yuriy, a former paint trader now working in Ukrainian military intelligence.
“Where our positions were, there are no homes left at all – 99% destroyed,” Yuriy said. “Where the Russians’ positions were, it’s not like that, because our artillery would refuse to risk harming civilians. By one church there were Russian vehicles, and we knew for sure there were no civilians there, but even then our artillery said no, we’re not shooting at the church.”
The church in question is also the site of one of the mass civilian graves found in Bucha. The bodies have been exhumed but not yet all identified.
“I have no words,” Danylo said. “I can imagine that there may be family members of friends of mine among them, I don’t know.”
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