Russia and Ukraine: the tragic situation of civilians trying to flee Irpin amid Russian bombing

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image source, Getty Images

Videos and photos taken in Irpin, a town located regarding 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, show how civilians are desperately trying to leave the town amid Russian bombing.

Ukrainians fleeing that city this Sunday were forced to take cover.

Irpin is suffering from an onslaught of artillery and air strikes because it is in the path of Russian troops trying to reach Kiev.

The Russian military is drawing ever closer to the Ukrainian capital, where some 3.4 million people lived before the invasion caused a mass exodus of civilians.

image source, Getty Images

Residents of Irpin ran down the sidewalks clutching their children, luggage and pets as they headed for the buses and cars that were supposed to take them away from the fighting.

Soldiers and other residents helped older men and women who were left behind.

Some people ducked as explosions erupted nearby, apparently from mortar fire.

Russian troops have been launching mortar attacks near a collapsed bridge that has been used to evacuate civilians.

The BBC was able to establish that three civilians, a mother and two children, were killed in one of these mortar attacks. There is information that there might be more victims, although the exact number is not clear.

image source, Getty Images

image source, Getty Images

image source, Getty Images

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting Irpin evacuation routes following a railway line was hit on Saturday.

image source, Getty Images

Like Irpin, the small towns of Hostomel and Bucha, northwest of Kiev, have seen violent clashes in recent days.

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