Terrified Ukrainians have been running for their lives to avoid major shelling as Vladimir Putin ’s forces surrounded two cities.
Horrifying images from Irpin, just 16 miles from capital Kyiv, show people cowering under cover as missiles rain down around them.
Soldiers and residents refusing to leave their homes can be seen helping elderly citizens to a bus as they attempt to flee the horror.
All around them are the bodies of those who did not make it to safety, as they were fired upon as they attempted to leave.
One heartbreaking image shows the bodies of a family, killed as they attempted to leave, surrounded by suitcases containing their possessions.
A resident has covered them with a blanket, but they remain a symbol of the innocents slaughtered by Putin’s illegal invasion.
The sad images confirm Russians are shelling civilian populations, despite assurances they would be off limits from weapon fire.
Other images show people looking exhausted as they tread through streets strewn with debris which was once someone’s home or business, as flames lick the sky behind them.
Four people, including two children, are also reported to have been shot down as they attempted to leave Irpin today.
The catastrophic scenes of destruction are repeated throughout the nation, now in its eleventh day under attack from aggressors Russia.
Thousands remain trapped in Mariupol after two ceasefires were ignored by Russians this weekend.
A second attempt, which was due to last between 10am and 9pm local time, again failed as evacuees attempting to flee were met with heavy shelling from Russian guns.
Around half of the city’s 400,000 population remains in the city.
A cease fire had earlier been called on Saturday but was also ignored, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk.
Since the invasion started, the coastal city has come under heavy attack.
Residents remaining have no power, water or heat as supplies of food and medicine threatens to run out, causing people to starve.
Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said the planned evacuations were halted because of an ongoing assault by Russian troops.
He said: “There can be no 'green corridors' because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom.”
The city council said in a statement: “It is extremely dangerous to take people out under such conditions.”
Pope Francis said on Sunday he had dispatched two cardinals to Ukraine, saying the Vatican is willing to do everything it can to bring peace.
He said: "In Ukraine, rivers of blood and tears are flowing.
“This is not just a military operation, but a war that sows death, destruction and misery."
The scenes of horror will soon come to the historic port city of Odesa, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
He said: “They are preparing to bomb Odessa.
“Russians have always come to Odessa. They have always felt only warmth in Odessa. Only sincerity. And now what?
"Bombs against Odessa? Artillery against Odessa? Missiles against Odessa?
“It will be a war crime. It will be a historical crime.”
