Carlos Barria and Mehmet Emin Caliskan

IRPIN (Ukraine) – Ukrainians fleeing Irpin, just outside Kyiv, were shelled by Russian forces Sunday. They had to jump for safety, Reuters witnesses stated.

The fighting at Irpin has intensified in the last few days. It is situated 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Kiev. Russia’s military has begun to attack Kyiv. Kyiv is home to approximately 3.4million people, before the invasion that triggered a massive exodus.

Residents of Irpin pushed their children and dogs along the pavements, clutching luggage and pets.

Elderly people were assisted by their neighbors and soldiers. The explosions from mortar rounds emitted by nearby bombs caused some people to crouche down.

Reuters reporters were not present at the scene of the shelling. However, several news sources reported that three victims had been killed in the incident: a woman as well as two children.

The New York Times published a photograph https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/03/06/world/06ukraine-briefing-top1/merlin_203332950_e825298f-392e-45f1-ae70-88638a43a640-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp of four members of a family – a mother, father and two children – lying on the ground in Irpin.

According to the caption, they tried to escape when the mortar hit and the father was being treated by the Ukrainian soldiers.

Reuters couldn’t independently verify the facts.

More than 1.5 Million people fled to neighboring countries after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner For Refugees. This is the largest refugee crisis to hit Europe since World War Two.

Many more people are seeking refuge in western Ukraine, where they can find relative safety.

BARRIAGES AND TRENCHES

Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv bolstered defenses by blocking roads, digging trenches, and communicating with civil defence units, as Russian forces bombed surrounding areas.

As fears of an attack mounted, the fear of being completely overwhelmed prompted thousands to attempt to flee from the city while the civilian volunteers and armed forces continued digging in.

Russia’s firepower has been concentrated in the southeast and eastern parts of Russia since the attack began Feb. 24, when it besieged several cities, including Mariupol and Kharkiv.

Although Kyiv was spared most of the fighting, intense battles have been raging in neighboring villages and towns. On Sunday, Russia’s defense ministry showed footage of several of its military vehicles moving near the capital.

Ukrainian armed forces captured Saturday’s action in Kyiv, showing how they attempted to defend Kiev. They placed concrete slabs across the main road that Ukrainian soldiers used for checking cars passing by.

Machine gun positions and metal hedgehog anti-tank barriers were used to block a small road. Many Molotov cocktails were stored by civilians who pledged to fight for Kyiv.

Russia refers to its actions against Ukraine as “special operation”, designed to degrade its military and nationalist capabilities.

Volodymyr Zeleskiy, the President of Ukraine, remains there and calls on people to stand up for their country.

Kateryna Laskari was a producer company executive who fled her hometown Kyiv shortly after the invasion started.

The three-year old sister of her husband, Simon, arrived in a village about 50km (31 miles) from her home. Simon is her son.

“Of course I am scared as everybody else, but there are so many people that I need to take care of. She told Zoom that she is responsible for her family and for her business.

But to be truthful, I was more afraid than I actually am. It’s like being a soldier now. Because I am certain that we will prevail, I feel like I have lots of energy.