Stories from Ukraine: Wandering in the ruins of a shattered life after surviving Russia’s invasion

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

Elevated to the status of Hero City, the Battle for Irpin was a turning point in stopping the Putin’s invasion. The battle-worn town now stands as an example of resistance, and symbol of Russian defeat. But in the early days of the war, hardship and uncertainty gripped the residents of the Kyiv suburb who were unable to flee.

Most of the 60,000 people who lived in the middle class commuter city had escaped the brutal Russian bombardment, as military forces advanced through the bordering town of Bucha. But for several thousand residents, particularly the elderly without the resources or stamina to travel, finding shelter against the onslaught was their only option.

Near the edge of Irpin, a few blocks from a destroyed hospital and the city’s cultural center, stood the ruins of a shopping center and adjacent neighborhoods. It was a critical junction that connected the suburban city of Bucha to Irpin, and the road on to the capital city – the prize sought by Russia’s dictator – to take control of the independent nation.

But as the Russian invaders made their push to Kyiv, they became bottlenecked on Soborna Street, and faced fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces. A savage battle rattled the area, where in a building nearby lived a widower named Vasil.

The Milwaukee Independent team was surveying the area when the 69-year-old approached us to share his experience of surviving the invasion.

“I live here on the fifth floor. My dog was pawing to get out of the building. She felt something was wrong. I had just left the building, and within three minutes the explosion came. If I would have stayed, I would have died. My dog obviously knew something was about to happen,” said Vasil. “It all happened in front of my eyes on February 28th. I was standing here outside in the courtyard, and then I heard the explosion. The blast hit the tree and then it hit the second floor. There were flames everywhere, and that was how the fire started that engulfed the building. It was so hot that there were areas that melted.”

The burnt husks of two cars remained in the building’s courtyard, one damaged from the initial explosion on February 28, the other caught fire on March 14, when it was hit by a landmine that had been detonated by a mortar shell. Despite finding a war on his front steps, Vasil tried to go about his life as usual.

“In those early days, I would go out and walk my dog. I was always walking around,” said Vasil. “It was shelling all the time. There were shells landing here, shells hitting there. I wasn’t afraid. Whatever happens will happen, I thought. God will save me. I was walking around because the cellar where I took shelter was dark and without electricity. And there was a lot of dust.”

When a Russian artillery shell hit the second floor of his building, no one was living in that space at the time. Vasil’s wife had died from cancer before the war, so he found himself alone when the Russians came.

“That’s why I stayed. There was no one to help me. I used to work at the local brick factory, so my pension is low. I’ve been able to get some canned food from the church, but it is hard to prepare with my building destroyed,” said Vasil. “Right now, I live a couple days with some people, a few days with other people. I am kind of wandering around. I was offered to live in a tent, but I didn’t like it. People were smoking, people were drinking. I don’t do either, so how am I to live with them? I was afraid that people might steal my things. Where families live, those areas are fine, but I don’t belong. It’s not for me.”

Vasil said that there were times when he had no mobile phone reception. So he would have to go up a hill to get a signal, or ask a neighbor in an undamaged building to use their landline. He also said that Russian soldiers never made it the few blocks up Soborna Street, but they did capture part of Irpin on March 6.

“We were hard hit because the Territorial Defense fought back and wouldn’t let them enter Irpin. Our soldiers were here with cannons, defending us and the neighboring village. That was why this area took so much damage, because the Russians were trying to hit them,” said Vasil. “But even after our troops left the area, the Russians kept shelling us. They were trying to hit civilians. I would hear the bam bam bam of shelling for two hours straight sometimes.”

Vasil showed us the shattered ruins of his home, reduced to rubble. Among the debris were a few surviving objects. We then followed him downstairs to the building’s cellar, where he remained hidden for about month.

It was where he and his dog slept. Because there was no heater, Vasil would keep his pet next to him for warmth. The only way he could keep track of time was if light came in, letting him know it was morning. With food in short supply, Vasil said that the Territorial Guard supplied him with meals for a while.

“I didn’t have a radio either, so if I saw a neighbor I would ask about what was happening. But they only stayed for the first couple weeks of the war, then everyone left,” said Vasil. “I didn’t have anywhere to go. And I only had 170 Hryvnia. So I couldn’t even afford transportation if I did.”

Only after Ukrainian troops recaptured the city on March 28 and liberated it from Russian occupation did Vasil abandon his underground shelter.

“I asked a government official if there was somewhere permanent to live, not the temporary housing, and they did not have a response. So I’ll wait until the fall. Maybe by then the war will be over and I’ll find a better place to live,” added Vasil.

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