The story of the return to Irpin
Hey, everyone.
The following is a translation of the Twitter thread by a Ukrainian journalist and tactical medicine instructor Olga Khudetska. It was written in response to Yevhen Lyr asking about the experiences of people whose towns were occupied by russians and then liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Please read this story and think of it next time you hear someone say Ukraine should give up any of its territory to russia. Unfortunately, you can find many more in this #russianwarcrimes thread.
“The story of the return [to Irpin]: rescued my sister's cat, which no one expected to see alive, found alive a lost dog of a cynologist and another killed dog of a the cynologist, found a human corpse in my neighbours’ yard, and another corpse in a burned car.
My whole neighborhood is wrecked and burned, wires and branches on the ground, unexploded landmines stuck in the asphalt, graves in parks and on the sidewalks, contused dogs, hostages from the residential complex where the russians lived, the hostages are afraid of everyone and refuse to communicate on the recorder: “what if suddenly they will return.” The phones with recorded russian equipment hidden by the hostages.
“I'll show it to you, but I won't send it over in case they come back." Seven graves in the park opposite the housing complex. They shot 4 men and a woman from the residential complex “for working for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. They didn’t let to bury them for two weeks, they lay in the yard. Locals buried the dead then under fire during the retreat of the russians.
On the woman's grave is a cross made of branches and a note from the husband: let me know when I can rebury. And a phone number. Two more graves - shot civilians who were walking by. Abandoned Z-branded equipment nearby. The park around the graves is mined, you have to follow the guide to get to the graves.
In the building nearby was the russian headquarters. They lived in the stairwells, but each apartment in the hallway was smashed up and broken into pieces. The door was removed along with the brick row, the furniture was cut and the TVs were broken, everything was destroyed. This is an inexpensive residential complex on the outskirts of Irpin. “The russians were asking if this was the local Rublyovka.”
Thirsty, malnourished cats were in the apartments. There were no dogs anywhere. “They were killing them.” I give the cats water, I can't step into the apartment. Cats can't go out in the hallway because of fear. They meow. I try to convince them to leave. They won’t come out. Skinny as skeletons. I apologize in my mind, stepping in.
The cats drink.
I give the coordinates of the found human bodies, ordinary and the ones burned in cars, to an operative in Irpin, who in peacetime would collect video from cameras when he was looking for another bicycle thief. The next day, the operative collects the bodies with the investigative team, because on that day there were already too many bodies.
In another apartment complex, my namesake Olya, the head of the residents’ union, essentially became the eldest of a group of hostages kidnapped from several buildings. She fought for a safe space in the basement for people (in other residential complexes, russians forced people to sit on the higher floors under fire, and they occupied the basement themselves), food and medical care.
She saved all but one drunkard. Many people were suffering from stress, but this one caused trouble. The russians shot him. Buried in the park.
In the neighboring apartment complex, a man’s mother died from the lack of insulin. The russians allowed him to bury her, they gave him 15 minutes, he tried to bury her in the yard.
In the process, the russians kicked and pushed him, beat him with buttstocks. He was digging. Sometimes with his hands.
Another man from this residential complex takes me to his apartment "this is where I looked out the window." The window, the wall opposite are all riddled with bullet holes. Shells on the playground.
Another house with hostages. There were russians in three houses, but not in the fourth one. “It's as if they didn't see us, it's because an icon painter lives in our house and paints icons and believes very much in God.
I realize that hostages are aware of themselves as hostages in only one residential complex.
In the neighbor's private house, two floors were demolished and burned, and the basement remained, the windows of which were filled with bags of earth. Expensive lawns with thuja were dug up nearby, from which soil was taken for bags.
Were they in the basement when the house caught fire?” - “it is not possible to go inside without demining.
Next, I photographed every burned and shot car on the Irpin-Stoianka road. Many have “children” written on them, most of them have blood in the cabin. Documents. Scattered keys.
About one of them, the police officer, to whom I send the coordinates of the bodies, tells me - “and these are ours, the last ones to leave the station.
In the trunk of the shot and burned Zhiguli - zincs and cartridges “shot up” from the fire. There are several ribs in the cabin - “not all the bones have been collected”. One just went out after someone or something. survived "He hid in the dachas for two days." The other was in the cabin when it was hit. “These are his bones. They were taking out ammunition.
Thank you, Lyr.
I’m in April 2022 again.”
