The full extent of the devastation in the city of Irpin can be seen in a new video taken by a Ukrainian NGO and provided to DailyExpertNews.
It comes after Ukrainian forces have spent the past 36 hours driving Russian troops out of the city in the northwestern suburbs of Kiev.
Some context: DailyExpertNews has located and verified the authenticity of the video taken by the Ukrainian Witness Project, which describes the war in Ukraine. This is one of the first videos in weeks from the eastern part of Irpin as intense fighting made it impossible to access safely.
On Monday, the mayor of Irpin said Ukrainian forces have reclaimed the area from Russian forces.
A wasteland: The video, filmed on Tuesday, shows the wooded suburb that resembles an apocalyptic wasteland.
Wind blowing through the remaining trees and the clatter of sheet metal against metal is all that can be heard in the video, save for the muffled boom of a military attack in the distance.
Ongoing shelling: Russia claims it will reduce military activity near Kiev, but DailyExpertNews has yet to see any sign of military strikes around the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday night.
The video shows that while the gunfire, bombs and war have left Irpin – for now – the same is true for most of life in the city.
Bodies in streets: Aside from rubble and destruction of buildings, the bodies of civilians are all that lies on the streets.
A person in a leather jacket, who had apparently been pulling a small cart when he was killed, is seen face down on the ground. Another victim is pictured on their backs in the back seat of a bullet-ridden car.
There are at least five bodies in the video. It is unclear how and when they died.
The video shows them staying where they were beaten to death in the street, in windless silence, among the charred buildings and shattered trees.
Watch: Graphic video shows extensive destruction in Irpin