Stories from Ukraine: Tent camp offers shelter for displaced residents until Irpin can rebuild lost homes

Reports from Ukraine: This feature is part of an original Milwaukee Independent editorial series that recorded news from cities across Ukraine, including Milwaukee's sister city of Irpin, in May 2022. It was the first and, at that time, only news organization in Wisconsin that traveled to the country since it was invaded. The purpose of this journalism project was to document personal stories and events that detailed or showed the conditions of the war at that time, and their connections to Milwaukee. mkeind.com/reportsfromukraine

Since Russian forces were defeated and pushed out of Irpin in late March, thanks to the successful Ukrainian counteroffensive, the city has been working at full speed to repair the extensive damage to its critical infrastructure.

Patches have been applied to streets cratered by mortar fire. Burned tanks have been cleared away to allow commuter traffic to resume. Water lines and sewage services have been restored. Even grocery stores are reopened and stocked with a variety of food.

But thousands of residents from Irpin and surrounding areas remain displaced, and in urgent need of care. Their homes or apartments were utterly destroyed, and rebuilding them while Ukraine remains in a state of war has been a challenge for the local government.

Once the threat to Irpin faded as Russian forces left the city, residents began desperately returning even before the area was declared safe. Many found their homes flattened. It created a crisis for the city government, to manage the refugees before a plan was in place for Irpin’s recovery.

In the early weeks after Irpin was liberated, bodies were still being recovered from the rubble. The removal process was hindered and slowed due to the cruelty of the Russian military, who set explosive boobytraps on many corpses and in homes. The city was left with no water, electricity, internet access, in addition to the hidden military threats.

With a population of 60,000 before the war, Irpin spent weeks cataloging the civil and economic damage. The survey found that 70% of the structures in the city were damaged, with 30% beyond repair. The cost of rebuilding quickly reached an estimated $1 billion. In addition, the loss of its tax base meant that city leaders depended on humanitarian aid and charity to make infrastructure repairs. But often the work was done by necessity, without funding.

While Mayor Oleksandr Markushin and regional leaders prepared permanent housing for people, they also provided temporary shelters for the homeless – especially families with children. Initially, Ukrainian Railways provided carriages that were able to accommodate up to 200 residents. The rolling stock included beds, showers, and a dining car.

The British government also donated tent shelters, which have proved to be essential for many returning refugees. They added another 70 beds to the 120 rooms that had been setup in a sanatorium. Mayor Markushin announced on social media in early May that the city had provided about 2,000 beds for displaced Irpin’s residents.

State funding has already been set aside for the construction of new housing. By the end of 2022, Irpin hopes to build a medium-sized residential complex to address the needs of displaced residents. The effort follows plans to establish other long-term housing in the area.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously estimated that the unprovoked Russian invasion would have a $600 billion impact on Ukraine, but recent estimates as the war continues has pushed that total over $1 trillion.

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