Babel designer Kateryna Bandus brought humanitarian aid to Irpin, Bucha and Borodyanka. She saw destroyed neighborhoods, shelled high-rises and people who survived in spite of everything — photo report

The cities of Bucha and Irpin, as well as the village of Borodyanka (all three are located near Kyiv) have been under occupation since the beginning of the war. On April 1, the Ukrainian army entered the cities, cleared them a few days later and started demining. Mass burials were found in Bucha: Russian soldiers tied up local civilians, tortured and killed them. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed in Irpin: Russian troops simply fired on high-rise buildings. Borodyanka was destroyed almost completely. Babel designer Kateryna Bandus went to deliver humanitarian aid to these cities and made a photo report. She spoke to those who were lucky to survive. One of such women told a missile hit her house, damaging roof and walls. Several other missiles hit the yard. Her son was coming back home at that time, missile debris injured his hand and kidneys. He couldnʼt make it home, though: Russian soldiers took him and tortured severely for a long time. He didnʼt survive.

This is how villages, houses and people in the area look like now.