Irpin, Ukraine's 'Hero City,' Rebuilds After Liberation

A construction worker looks on in a damaged residential area of Irpin on April 4. Irpin's reconstruction is expected to cost about $685 million, according to ReBuildUA.
 

An aerial photo of Irpin taken on April 29, 2022, shows the devastation wrought on civilian areas by Russian forces.

Formerly home to an estimated 65,000 people, Ukrainian officials designated Irpin a "hero city," an acknowledgement of the resolve its people have demonstrated in the face of so much adversity.​​​​​​

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Irpin was the site of fierce fighting between Moscow and Kyiv's forces that led to nearly 70 percent of the city being heavily damaged or destroyed. 

At least 37 high-rise buildings in the city have been declared uninhabitable.

 

The Irpin Lyceum No. 3 is now being rebuilt with the help of UNICEF.

Bullet holes and artillery shrapnel mark a wall at the lyceum, where at one time 2,000 children studied.

An employee of the lyceum shows where a projectile hit. UNICEF has allocated $5.2 million for the reconstruction of Lyceum No. 3.

According to the mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushin, the work on the lyceum should be completed in September. It is planned that 1,500 children will be able to attend classes in the new academic year.

Nearly 60 heavily damaged and unrepairable private homes have been dismantled, with another 130 scheduled for demolition.

These grounds, now vacant, once held a heavily damaged residential building.

Homes for homeless cats, which were installed by volunteers.

At least 10 countries, as well as international organizations and volunteers, are involved in the rebuilding process.

A mural by the elusive British artist Banksy -- showing an injured gymnast in a neck collar performing a ribbon routine -- painted on one of Irpin's shattered residential buildings will be preserved.

City officials last year made Banksy an honorary citizen for "drawing the world community's attention to the scale of the destruction of Irpin."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has declared that "the largest economic project in Europe of our time" -- the rebuilding of Ukraine -- should be shouldered by Russia. Zelenskiy added that the Kremlin needs to "learn the words 'reparations' and 'contributions.'"

The World Bank estimates the cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $411 billion.