This Russian invasion left behind a shambolic and unrecognizable wasteland. It is a scene that takes your breath away.

The Byshiv village cultural centre is now level.

A small stack of Ukrainian poetry book has been stacked by someone.

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This was the village’s central point, where they celebrated their culture, creativity and heritage.

To salvage what they can, they used a nearby building.

Books are stored against the wall in piles. After decades and decades of caring for and nurturing their cultural identity, they are now a pitiful remnant.

This is a wanton, brutal destruction that is just as senseless as it is.

Other developments:

* Biden declares that Putin “cannot remain in power” as Zelenskyy urges Europe to hand over weapons

* Analyse: Biden may hope that his Putin demise comments don’t come back to haunt him

* Lviv’s security was shattered by the Russian strikes

* After weeks of silence, the top military officers of the Kremlin appear for the first time in weeks

* Who are the Russian military officers who have been killed?

Byshiv is a small community located 22 miles (35km west) of the capital. However, it is guilty in being in the way Russian advancement into Kyiv.

It will take many years to rebuild, and it may never be the same again.

Volunteers are busy transporting the contents of the Kashtan kindergarten to the village.

These walls are still intact and plastered with bright murals, childish drawings, and mementos from times past when over 100 pre-schools met at this launchpad to education.

Svetlana grybovska has been the woman at the helm for the past 20 years.

She now oversees the pile of rubble.

She is utterly shocked at the mindless bombing.

“A lot of it was hand-made. She explains that the artwork and other crafts used to decorate each room were created by her and her children.

She is instructing men to collect as many toys and cupboards intact as possible, and she already envisions a future without bombing or shelling.

It’s not a future anyone can imagine right now.

For over a month, the classrooms have been empty of any pupils.

They won’t return to the same school or life that they left, that’s for certain.

The headteacher cannot even speak through her sobs.

Although she wants to, she has not responded to our gentle requests for an interview.

She explains, “I can’t talk without crying.”

She is heartbroken when she says she will not budge.

She tells us that she would like all of this to be resolved, and “for peace to prevail…for friendship to flourish.” It is so hard when it is children who are suffering.

It’s wrong. She says that children are innocent of any crime.

The Russian military trademark is a strategy that strikes at the heart of the community. It’s been used repeatedly in Chechnya as well as in Syria.

Although the Russian troops may have stopped from moving forward, this is not a failure on the part of the aggressors. Their well-known sledgehammer tactics of bombing to submission, and if there is no submission, then total destruction.

The Ukrainians might have made it difficult for the Russian troops in some areas to stop or retreat from the capital. This is evident in the military remains we see outside of Kyiv Oblast.

However, the Ukrainian president calls for fighter jets and tanks, as well as missiles to help his troops defeat their Russian invaders more precisely. He is also becoming increasingly frustrated by the inaction of his Western allies.

There is still much fighting in the capital’s outskirts, and there is much destruction in outlying communities.

We found Ukrainian pamphlets among the rubble. They were written in Russian and appealed directly to the Russian troops who had given them the order to destroy the city.

One person said, “The blood of Ukrainian children lies on your hands.”

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One offered them roubles and amnesty in exchange for surrendering and putting down their guns.

They are protecting their monuments in Ukraine’s capital city despite defiant claims that they will eventually win.

Everyone is aware that the Russian military machine may view everyone and everything as legitimate targets. Victory in Russian eyes could be synonymous with destruction.