Search for culture of remembrance on the anniversary of the liberation of Irpin

Desperate people trying to escape from the Russians. The pictures from Irpin went around the world. Two years later, many are asking themselves: How can the victims be remembered when large parts of the city are still in ruins?

Car traffic flows over the new four-lane Romanowski Bridge in Irpin. It runs right next to the large rubble of the old bridge, which made headlines around the world as the “Bridge of Life” at the beginning of the major Russian invasion. Tens of thousands passed through here fleeing Irpin. The invaders had occupied suburbs of Kiev such as Borodyanka, Bucha and Hostomel, and the Ukrainian army blew up the bridge in Irpin to prevent a Russian advance towards Kiev. Anton Mirontschuk’s office building was also damaged.

The 36-year-old contractor stands next to the bridge and remembers the panic and chaos as people were evacuated. At first there were no boards and people waded through the water of the Irpin River. “When the bridge was blown up, we heard the explosion,” says Mirontschuk. “A gas pipe was on fire and there was smoke above the collapsed concrete. I couldn’t believe it at first.”

Hasty escape towards Kyiv

Then a Russian rocket hit the office building and a security guard was killed, remembers the 36-year-old building contractor. He had feelings like never before. “It was a certain kind of pain and something absolutely new,” Mirontschuk tries to describe the impressions from back then. “No one was prepared for this feeling. It’s not pleasant to remember.”

At that time, the stressed people waited under the part of the bridge that had not been blown up so that they could balance over the cold water using hastily laid wooden planks with the help of the army and volunteers. Whether in a stroller or wheelchair – just leave Irpin towards Kiev.

“Our Resilience could have broken here”

Small memorial sites have been created under the gray concrete bridge pillars. The traces of the evacuation can still be seen. Colorful stuffed animals, photos of laden – often crying – people, an overturned, bullet-ridden car wreck, white paper angels or a broken stroller remind us of the journey across the “bridge of life”. A devil-like portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s head is painted on one of the pillars. The devilish red face is surrounded by a large pile of white skulls.

For the architect Sorjana Tikhontschuk, the symbolic power of the Irpin Romanovsky Bridge is huge. If she had her way, the rubble would remain, because it is a symbol that there was a moment in which Ukraine could have lost everything. “Our resilience, our unity and our country could have collapsed here,” says the architect. “It’s about a broken bridge and people’s broken lives. It’s a symbol of remembrance for future generations.”

Local projects for different Places of memory

The wind blows Sorjana Tikhontschuk’s dark hair into her face as she vividly talks about her ideas. She would build a glass sarcophagus over the rubble, work with light installations and include other places in the area that were important in the evacuation of the people from Irpin. The 37-year-old is involved in the so-called Irpin Reconstruction Summit, a voluntary initiative that works with the municipality of Irpin. Together with around 200 – including foreign – architects, urban planners, designers, fundraisers and project managers, Tikhontschuk develops projects for local places of remembrance.

The architect emphasizes that it is not about state culture of remembrance and large memorials such as those for the attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA or large Holocaust memorials. “We want to emphasize local experiences,” she explains. Everyone has their own experiences.

During the debate about the Romanowski Bridge, one of the project architects said it was important to preserve the tragic moment because otherwise people would learn nothing. The public – sometimes controversial – debate about the “Bridge of Life” is not over. There is no sponsorship money or concrete decisions yet – and there are many other construction sites in Irpin.

Around 70 percent of the buildings in Irpin were destroyed

When the Ukrainian military recaptured Irpin on March 28, 2022, much of the formerly green town was in ruins. According to the city of Irpin, more than 300 civilians have been killed by Russian soldiers and 38 territorial defense personnel since the war of aggression began on February 24, 2022. Homes, schools, hospitals, kindergartens, railways and parks were bombed. According to the municipality, around 70 percent of all buildings were destroyed. 500 high-rise buildings alone are partially damaged, 80 are being repaired and almost 40 are about to be demolished. The shot-up high-rise with the “Ballerina” by the artist Banksy was also demolished. The artwork is now on display in the city center.

Irpin marked March 28 with a series of events, including a memorial service for the fallen Ukrainian soldiers, a “Book of Remembrance” and conferences at which reconstruction and remembrance were discussed.

Mirontschuk: Apartments are now more important than memorial sites

According to the municipality, most of the residents returned in April and May 2022. At the beginning of 2023, around 65,000 people lived in Irpin, including around 20,000 internally displaced people.

Many parts of the city were destroyed – especially those in the direction of Butscha and Hostomel. For the Irpin building contractor Anton Mirontschuk, housing and reconstruction are more important at this time than a memorial at the Romanowski Bridge. The building contractor points towards a large construction site with tall cranes and high-rise buildings, where thousands of new apartments are being built under his direction. The community can never, ever pay for the reconstruction alone and needs money and attention, he says. He simply wants to believe that Ukraine can achieve this. “That we couldn’t do it? I don’t even want to think about that.”