With their expectations low and guards raised, the soldiers marched into Irpin.

Although the Ukrainian president may have stated to the country that his troops had retaken control of the commuter area after more than a month, they were not taking anything for granted.

Irpin, located northwest of the capital has been the center of intense Russian attacks for more than four consecutive weeks.

Many of the city’s residents fled to safety under heavy fire. During this long battle, at least one journalist and several civilians were killed.

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According to the mayor of the town, it was finally “liberated.”

Putin forces are ‘pushed away from capital’ – live updates

In other developments:

* Russia to “fundamentally reduce” military activity near Kyiv, Chernihiv* Ukrainian soldiers’regaining territory’, and pushing back Russian forces

* Zelenskyy: Ukraine is open to neutrality and offers security guarantees

* US doubts Abramovich’s ‘chemical’ poisoning claims

* Additional Russian mercenaries heading towards Ukraine

“Is it free?” We asked the soldiers. We asked the soldiers.

It seemed that the forest around was being disturbed by intermittent shelling and artillery firing sounds suggested otherwise.

Residents who hid in their homes during the battle still feel unsafe in the town.

Surprisingly, many residents have still managed to emerge from underground shelters after almost a month of living in fear.

Galina Grip, a resident, shared with us the story of how they were held captive by Russian troops who took them from many basements and put them all in one.

She said that there were 40 of them, and they all lived in the same basement.

“Then, they placed tanks on each side of the house, one on the other and a third in their yard.”

Residents believed that they were being used to protect against Ukrainian attacks.

Alla Yhova, her friend, cried repeatedly as she described how she was held at gunpoint and how Russian troops had robbed residents of valuables such as mobile phones and food.

Two women claimed that they had seen troops remove their uniforms and wear civilian clothes, but it was not clear if they were trying to hide or blend in with other Ukrainians in order to plan future attacks.

The people of Irpin, a small town that stood in the way the Russian advance into the capital, are horrified by the developments in the peace negotiations in Turkey.

Nevertheless, few soldiers who entered the town during the negotiations had any faith that the agreements would be upheld.

One fighter said, “How many times have you heard of a ceasefire?” “It’s always our side that sticks to it. Then we get attacked and we have to respond.”

Continue reading: Zelenskyy offers Putin an escape route from war, but will Russia’s leader agree?

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The second says they don’t believe that the Russians have kept to any agreements.

He said, “The first time that we established a humanitarian corridor at Irpin they attacked the civilian convoy.”

Many believe that any offer of cessation of hostilities is only possible because of Russian troops being defeated on the battlefields of villages and towns surrounding the capital.

Raisa Ivanivna is a pensioner who has lived in her basement for over a month with her husband. Any surrender of weapons or any silence of guns will not be a problem.

The first hot beverage she had in several weeks was given to her by kind emergency workers. For weeks, the couple has been without electricity, water heating, gas, or heat.

They survived by drinking water from the well, as their food supplies dwindled daily.

The day after Irpin was declared “liberated”, the Ukrainian president saved them.

As she drank her hot herbal tea, she sobbed in relief. She said, “It’s been terrible.”

Alex Crawford reports live from Irpin with Chris Cunningham as camera operator and Oleksandr Piiskun as producers. Mihailo Vadimovich Cherniak