Anadolu Agency footage shows Irpin destroyed by intense fighting in Ukraine

By Davit Kachkachishvili

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Footage of the Ukrainian city of Irpin, near Kyiv, where heavy fighting recently took place, was captured Friday by reporters.

Mine search and "clearing" operations are underway in the city which was liberated from Russian occupation earlier this week.

Accompanying an Anadolu Agency team during their tour of the city, Special Operations Police of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Dmytro Shatrovskyi, said Irpin and surrounding villages have been controlled by Ukrainian Armed Forces for the last two days and what happened during the Russian occupation was "like a doomsday."

Footage captured by Anadolu Agency shows military mobility and ongoing efforts to evacuate civilians hiding in warehouses and shelters.

Footage shows empty streets, avenues and parks as well as homeless pets in many areas of the city.

It also shows buildings destroyed by heavy bombardments, burned military and civilian vehicles and blank cartridges.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed Monday that the city was liberated from Russian occupation.

The Governor of Chernihiv Viacheslav Chaus said on social media that the Russian army is slowly withdrawing from the city as the Ukrainian army began to clear mines in locations previously held by Russia.

But he warned that the threat of missile and airstrikes remains and the northern part of the city is still under a Russian blockade.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,232 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,935 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.