In Irpin, along Universytetska Street, a car cemetery stretches into the distance. Most of them are private vehicles, suggesting that before the full-scale invasion, they were used for family needs — commuting to work, shopping, or traveling for leisure.

The battle for Irpin began on February 27, 2022. As people fled to save themselves and their loved ones, the only escape route, the “road of life,” was the destroyed Romaniv Bridge, forcing residents to cross the river on foot. Their cars were left behind in Irpin.

After the liberation of the city, the horrors of Russian war crimes in occupied Irpin were revealed to the world. Cars riddled with bullet holes, reduced to scrap metal, and some even bearing traces of blood, were found abandoned on the streets. The most chilling sight was civilian cars marked with the word “Children”, likely used by families trying to evacuate from the occupied city.

Now these cars have become yet another testament to Russian terror in peaceful Ukrainian cities. In this parking lot, cars were being towed from the bridge over the Irpin River.