While trying to leave the Ukrainian city of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kiev, a family was killed on Sunday (6) amid a mortar attack organized by Russian troops, who are trying to take control of the site, an important artery to reach the capital.
Photographer Lynsey Addario captured the exact moment when Ukrainian soldiers tried to rescue their father, the only one who was still alive when the record was made. The mother, teenage son and daughter, who appeared to be around 8 years old, were already dead. The photograph was published in the American newspaper The New York Times.
Their luggage, which included a blue wheeled suitcase and a few backpacks, was spread across the floor near the sidewalk, along with a green box, inside which was a barking dog.
Irpin, a city of just over 60,000, is under constant bombardment. The region is just 25 km from Kiev. Ukrainian soldiers at the scene, with the help of the population, came to blow up part of a bridge that allows access to the municipality, in an attempt to prevent Russian troops from taking control, he told sheet Israeli journalist Itai Anghel, who follows the situation in loco.
The mortar attack took place just as civilians were trying to cross the bridge’s wreckage to leave the city with the help of the Ukrainian military. The mortars first landed about 100 meters from the bridge, according to the photographer’s information, and then also on nearby streets. In one of them was the dead family.
A video posted on social media and checked by The New York Times shows the moment when, with civilians walking in the streets with their luggage, the mortars hit the scene, leading to explosions and leaving a lot of smoke. Soldiers then run to help the family, who were near a corner.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said it would continue the attempt to evacuate civilians from Irpin after the recent bombing of the city and its surroundings, even though there is no safe exit route. The State Emergency Service reported that it is setting up tents to provide medical care to all who need it.
On Twitter, Lynsey Addario, who specializes in war coverage, also described the scenes she watched and documented: “Today, I witnessed Russian troops deliberately targeting civilians fleeing the town of Irpin for their lives. At least three members of a family of four people were killed in front of me.”
Since the photographer’s record, when the father of the family was still alive, although with serious injuries, no new information about his health status has been released.
At least 364 civilians have been killed and 759 wounded in shelling since Russia invaded Ukraine 11 days ago, according to the United Nations monitoring mission. The figures, however, tend to be higher, as recognized by the UN itself.
