The New York TimesThe New York Times
A Ukrainian soldier runs to check on a family after a mortar round landed nearby as civilians tried to flee Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Lynsey Addario/The New York Times)
A Ukrainian soldier runs to check on a family after a mortar round landed nearby as civilians tried to flee Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Lynsey Addario/The New York Times)

The bridge was destroyed by the Ukrainian soldiers in order to slow the Russian advance on the capital, but it still offered a way out of the fighting.

On Sunday, as Ukrainian refugees were milling near the entrance to the structure, a family laden with backpacks and a blue roller suitcase decided to chance it.

The Russian mortar hit as they crossed into Kyiv.

The New York Times has a morning newsletter.

There was a cloud of concrete dust in the morning. Ukrainians ran from the scene when it settled. Not the family. A mother and her two children lay on the road with a family friend.

Russian President Putin has denied that his forces are targeting civilians. He did it again on Sunday, a day after the railroad track used to evacuate Ukrainians came under fire.

Only a few Ukrainian troops were near the bridge when the mortar shells started to fall. The soldiers there helped refugees carry their children and luggage to the capital.

One soldier said that the military is one thing.

A team from the New York Times witnessed the attack on the bridge.

Hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing the fighting in three towns on the western rim of the country have gathered around the bridge to make their way to Moscow.

The people who cross the bridge into Kyiv form small groups and run about 100 yards. Ukrainian soldiers run alongside the civilians to help them and then return to take cover behind a cinder block wall.

The routes out of Irpin were so unsafe that no one could get out.

People ran across the exposed street after scrambling over the debris of the damaged bridge.

When the mortar shells hit, Ukrainian forces were engaged in clashes nearby, but not where the civilians were moving along the street on the Kyiv side of the bridge. Outgoing mortar rounds could be heard from a Ukrainian position about 200 yards away from the bridge, suggesting that the Russians were either targeting the exit route or ignoring the risk of civilian casualties.

The mortar shells fell first 100 or so yards from the bridge, then moved in a series of thunderous blasts into a section of the street where people were fleeing.

People ran, pulled children, and tried to find a safe spot as the mortars got closer to the civilians. There was nothing to hide.

When the family was spotted sprawled on the ground, soldiers rushed to help, but could do little for them or a man who had been helping them.

The luggage was scattered around the group. There is a small green pet carrier nearby. A dog was making noise.

The New York Times Company.

  • The safe corridors, which should help people escape the horrors of war, have been branded immoral by the Ukranian government.

  • Ukrainians fleeing the town of Irpin were caught in shelling by Russian forces on Sunday and had to dive for cover. Irpin has seen intense fighting in the last few days. The invasion of the Kyiv caused an exodus of civilians, and Russia is closing in on the city.

  • They saw that it worked. Almost every house in the neighborhood has it. I get a lot of thanks for my method.

  • The remains of a Russian Tigr fighting vehicle lay on the side of the road, as Ukrainian troops lounged outside their trenches smoking cigarettes. A group of villagers are trying to get a captured T-90 tank running again so that the Ukrainian army can use it. Russian forces had fought to take Mykolaiv for three days, but by Sunday, Ukrainian troops had driven them back from the city limits.

  • Many people have expressed their support for the war-torn country by booking stays with individual hosts on the platform, but they are often sending money to large professional hosts who may not even be located in the country. That's because the listings don't identify whether the host is a professional or an individual.

  • The Russians began bombing the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv at 5am and almost all of them fell on buildings, according to the city's mayor.

  • Few know that Amazon has millions of Prime subscribers.

  • Moscow said on Monday that it would allow residents of the two main cities of Ukraine to flee to Russia and Belarus, a move that was denounced by the Ukrainian government as immoral. Both sides said a third round of talks would be held on Monday. The announcement of humanitarian corridors came after two days of failed ceasefires to allow civilians to escape the besieged city of Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands are trapped without food and water.

  • New Zealand plans to impose economic sanctions against Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine. New Zealand's existing laws don't allow it to apply meaningful measures unless they are part of a larger United Nations effort. Russia has veto power over the UN Security Council.

  • What started out as strange markings on Russian tanks and trucks has now become a symbol of World War Z. A Galina Starovoitova Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center has been collecting examples of the character's use on social media.

  • AdNucific
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    A board certified internal medicine and obese specialist shows what happens after just one diet soda. Click here if you want to watch a video.

  • Russian forces are gathering resources for a storm, according to the Ukrainian military.

  • As warnings go, the public announcement over the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant was clear.

  • The internet promised a world in which the truth could not be hidden. The premise of free-speech is being tested by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. How everyday Russians view the conflict is likely to determine their willingness to support Putin and his war. Get market news that is relevant to you. Putin is betting that old-school censorship and online black outs can hold a lid on things.

  • AdRaid
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    Enjoy this stunning graphics and deep game-play.

  • Clarissa Ward paused her reporting to help those fleeing Ukraine.

  • Ivan Kuliak faces possibleDisciplinary action for his shocking behavior at the Gymnastics World Cup event.

  • Bill Barr was not one of my better appointees and I made many great appointments during my Administration, and we accomplished more than most Administrations could even dream of. He is groveling.

  • AdMercy Ship
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    The facial tumors grew large and painful. She had surgery that changed her life.

  • The West Shore is closed for water main replacements.

  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    The Milwaukee Journalentinel has a daily news briefing.

  • Ukrainians have come under heavy bombardment in the northern outskirts of Kyiv. There is a new frontline in the Russian offensive.

  • AdSmartAsset
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    A high-interest account allows you to earn compound interest, while still having full access to your money. These are the top picks.

  • A customs officer told the WSJ that French authorities tied up Sechin's superyacht so it wouldn't leave the port.

  • "I don't see anything heroic about the man," said retired Col. Douglas Macgregor.

  • The former TV star harassed security guards at the museum.