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An armored van stops between two rows of concrete blocks. Out comes Oleksandr Markushyn, the mayor of Irpin, a burly, good-natured and in a hurry who has given up his city clothes for a camouflage outfit. Around, soldiers in fatigues block the road while others watch behind mounds of earth. At the end of the road, following a destroyed bridge, is Irpin, a small town of 60,000 inhabitants under the fire of bombs for nearly a month. But despite the incessant attacks, Irpin resists and has remained, at least partially, under Ukrainian control. A city worker says the mayor’s courage inspired all the townspeople.
