Pictures | Our photographer in the devastated city of Irvine: ‘Most of the body bags are now carried away’

Most of the population fled. An estimated twenty percent are left. Older people who “stubbornly refuse to leave their homes.” Says Wola, a 30-year-old takes us for a brisk ride through town in his truck, looking for the abandoned dogs and cats he has left behind. Then, usually successfully, in his chariot he tries to seduce.

The fighting in Irbin has been going on for almost thirty days. The Russian army was initially able to capture almost the entirety of Irbin, but recently the Russians were moved to the neighboring town of Botja. Erbin is perhaps the most important military victory of the Ukrainian army. It prevented Russian forces from encircling Kyiv. Is this why Russia “promised” in recent peace talks to significantly reduce its military offensive on Kyiv and Chernihiv? Because they failed to reach Kyiv?

In any case, the resistance offered by the Ukrainian army caused heavy casualties. The wooden pallets that were temporarily placed over the Irbin River now provide plenty of provisions, but also, not a little, for transporting the black plastic body bags of Ukrainian soldiers. It is strange to see a few soldiers, who, returning to their positions in the city through the planks, wait first to let four men on a stretcher carrying a fallen fellow pass in the opposite direction. None of the soldiers looked at the black plastic bag. Someone starts buzzing as soon as the soldier dies. Perhaps this is the only way for you as a soldier to return to your place on the front line.

The Ukrainian army destroyed the Irpin Bridge itself to prevent the passage of the Russians. But this made evacuation from the city more difficult. People had to reach the other side of the river in harsh weather conditions on boards over the water. Pictures spread around the world.