Hundreds of people streamed out of Irpin on Monday to escape Russian forces advancing towards the nearby Ukrainian capital Kyiv, some saying there were only a few residents left in the town badly damaged by recent shelling.
The numbers crossing the Irpin river and moving south towards Kyiv were lower than on recent days, although their passage was easier than on Sunday when heavy shelling and mortar fire killed at least four civilians trying to flee.
Ukrainian troops have been fighting invading Russian forces around Irpin, some 25 km (15 miles) northwest of Kyiv, for days, and some residents feared it was only a matter of time before local defences crumbled.
