Fear and paranoia does as much harm as bombs in once sought-after suburb

Irpin residents don’t know who to trust as proximity to Kyiv gives commuter hub a new strategic importance

Oleksandr Markushyn, the burly mayor of the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, prides himself on integrity as a public servant. Yet earlier this week, as his town came under heavy Russian bombardment, he got an offer that might have seemed tempting in the circumstances.

At around teatime on Monday, his phone bleeped with a message from a Russian number. It said he could either fight on and be killed, or take a bribe and surrender.

“Dear Alexander, you have the opportunity to save life and health, and maybe improve your financial situation,” it read. “If you are interested in the offer, send a ‘plus’ sign in a response message. The validity of the message is 24 hours.”

It did not take Mr Markushyn that long to make up his mind. Straight away, he replied with a “minus” sign – and a demand of his own. “I am making a public counter-offer to the occupiers,” he said on his Telegram channel. “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.”

So far, the Russians seem no keener on Mr Markushyn’s offer than he was on theirs. Yesterday, as Irpin continued to echo with the sound of bombs and gunfire, the mayor carried on trying to evacuate its remaining civilians in a fleet of yellow buses.

At least eight civilians are believed to have died in the town so far, although the mayor’s spokesman claimed the number was far higher.

“I would say that at least 50 people have died already,” she said last night. “It is chaos there – the Russians are not observing any kind of ceasefire.”

A satellite town of 60,000 on Kyiv’s north-west fringe, Irpin was one of the capital’s more sought-after commuter suburbs, in happier times.

Separated from the main city by a belt of dense woodland, its parks and new housing estates made it popular with young families.

Russian commanders, however, see its potential in rather different terms.

The town, now largely in their control, can act as a secure foothold on Kyiv’s outskirts, from where an assault on the wider capital can then be launched. As such, Irpin’s ordeal is one that every other district of the city now fears. Most of Irpin’s residents have already fled to Kyiv. They have left behind everything: homes, belongings, jobs, schools, friends, pets and contented lives.

They will never, though, leave behind the trauma of those first days of war, when what seemed like the perfect place to raise a family suddenly became a conflict zone.

“I will remember this time for the rest of my life, as it is the first time I have ever felt truly scared,” said Maria, a teacher, recalling how the sound of war first came to Irpin a fortnight ago. “My brother called me at home at 5.30am – he said ‘Wake up – a war is now on’.”

One snapshot of what life has been like in Irpin comes from a residents’ messaging group set up on the Viber mobile phone app. It allowed news to be shared quickly – although like any social media app, at times it also fuelled a sense of paranoia.

Prior to the war starting, a sense of calm prevailed on the group. Residents swapped pictures of rainbows and discussed which powers the

‘If you hear shots or bombs coming in – a certain type of whistle – immediately fall to the ground. In any case, do not run’

‘We try to call each other, to ask: ‘are you alive or not? The Russians said this was supposed to be war on military targets, but so far it’s just been one on civilians’

government would have if a state of emergency was imposed. A list of addresses for local emergency shelters was posted, and locations for where to give blood. There were also warnings, though, of what may come.

“If you hear shots or bombs coming in (a certain type of whistle), immediately fall to the ground,” said one post. “In any case, do not run.”

A town hall official called Anton, meanwhile, issued selfie videos where he does his best to keep everyone reassured. “Keep your family close, and charge up mobiles – this is our city and our place. We will do everything to protect our citizens,” he said.

Once the invasion started though, on the night of Feb 23, a sense of unease grew. The main fighting at that point was actually at Hostomel, a military air base five miles north. But Irpin residents could see the Russian helicopter gunships taking part in the attack, and had little way of interpreting the distant explosions they could hear. “What are those shots and shelling?” asked one post.

“At this time, there is no evidence of shots or explosions inside Irpin,” said Anton on the following night of Feb 24. “Stay calm but be ready to go to your hiding places immediately.”

At 3am the next morning, however, more explosions were heard. They also got louder and closer through the day.

“We heard some explosions, close to Irpin centre –- I’ve counted five,” fretted one resident. “My walls are shaking and the paint is starting to fall from the ceiling,” added another.anton reminds everyone that local troops and citizens’ volunteer patrols are still in control of the town – and that any looters will be shot.

There is also a post urging residents to be on the look-out for a red circular sign with a slash through it, spraypainted on the road. It is said to be a marker left by Russian saboteurs, although nobody appears quite sure.

“How do I identify fake news?” asks one post.

By this time, Maria, the teacher, was already about to flee altogether. “I live in a block of flats, and so we ran to a friend’s house and hid in his basement,” she told The Telegraph. “We lay on the floor with children, everyone crying because we didn’t know what to do. When we went outside we saw Russian helicopters, too, and soldiers.”

Other residents posted pictures of Russians tanks on the streets, claiming that the invaders were changing into civilian clothes. Mr Markushyn, then confirmed everyone’s worst fears, issuing a video broadcast clad in a flak jacket and helmet.

“Good afternoon, this is a very hard day for our town and for Ukraine,” he said on Feb 27.

“Today Russian tanks entered Irpin, although our boys repelled them. Stay indoors to avoid shooting, and give food to your friends and neighbours if they need it. Irpin is protected and in our control.”

The posts on the Viber app came less frequently as the fighting intensified, perhaps because residents were in their bunkers cut off from internet access. But as the days went by, the messages acquired a new urgency. Several were desperate appeals for information about people missing in the conflict.

“Missing since 22 February,” says one, with a name that The Daily Telegraph has chosen to withhold. “Location last time between Irpin and Vorzel [a nearby suburb]. With her son.”

Another post links to a picture of a bald man with a goatee. “Location: Irpin, street Warsaw 112. Last online: 05.03.2022 from home. He stayed there with his family – a wife and three children.”

A third gives another man’s name. “Irpin, Severinovskaya Street. Last time was by phone from home March 5, 2022.”For Maria, who fled Irpin and is now a refugee over the border in Poland, such messages have now become commonplace with friends still in the town. “We try to call each other, to ask: ‘Are you alive or not?’” she said.

“It has become a ritual now, because so often you hear of someone dying.

The Russians said this was supposed to be war on military targets, but so far it’s just been one on civilians.”

Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, has elsewhere accused Russian soldiers of shooting families who tried to leave buildings, and killing volunteers who tried to help.

She published black-and-white photos on Instagram of several children killed in recent days, saying that Russian mothers with sons in the military should be aware of what their boys were doing.

Nor is there likely to be peace in Irpin any time soon. As the first district of Kyiv to fall largely into enemy hands, it may also now be the target of a major counter-attack by Ukrainian forces, who cannot afford to let the Russians tighten their grip. Either way, Mr Markushyn expects to be in the thick of it.

“I am surprised that these monsters still do not understand that Irpin does not surrender,” he said. “Irpin is not for sale – Irpin is fighting.”