April 2 marks the liberation of the Kyiv region from the Russian occupation forces. I can vividly recall the spring of 2022 when I first stepped into my mother’s apartment in Irpin. The lingering stench of rotten meat filled the air, remnants from our untouched groceries gathered for my niece’s birthday on February 26. Such stories abound. In a friend’s apartment in Irpin, the Russians had callously left a bowl of red fish sitting in the middle of the room, taken from the freezer. Perhaps it was a nasty gesture to leave it to spoil?.. My mother departed Irpin on the last evacuation train, consisting of just two wagons before the rail track was blown up. I remember the Russian military’s dry rations strewn in the nearby yard, alongside the tank tracks leading to what seemed like a makeshift garage on the ground floor of a high-rise. The image of bombed-out buildings, the Tax Academy building and dormitories where my sister studied, and the charred remains of our relatives’ house in the private sector are all etched vividly in my memory.
My sister, along with her children, has yet to return to Irpin from Germany. Over there, my nephew started his first-grade journey, exploring his interest in football, while my niece began attending an inclusive school. We had plans to celebrate her 11th birthday in Irpin on February 26… However, my sister is hesitant to return home with a child with special needs. You might say my mother was fortunate. Only one mine struck the roof of her house, causing minimal damage compared to the neighbouring buildings.
The place of my buddy Vitya in Irpin went up in flames. Victor himself lost his hands and endured eye injuries towards the end of 2022 in Donbas. Now, he’s also in Germany, undergoing medical treatment. Last summer, he began to regain some sight in one eye – just silhouettes. Despite there being little hope. His apartment, it seems, has been renovated. From what I’ve observed, almost all the buildings in Irpin have been restored. But for some reason, Vitya doesn’t feel like living there anymore. At least, that’s what he claims.
The 22-year-old nephew from Irpin also got injured near Bakhmut – a mine hit the dugout. He lost his arm and endured three brain haemorrhages, but, as reported by Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, “In eight months, he restored all his physiological functions, and when it was time for prosthetics, doctors decided to give Georgiy a bionic arm.” And he even started ballroom dancing again.
Then there’s the memory of early May 2022, on the nearly deserted central street of Irpin, amidst the bombed-out buildings, where a barista treated everyone who bought coffee with hazelnuts and condensed milk. A taste of liberation, in a way.
