NEW YORK – The dramatic developments in Ukraine continue for another day with the expatriate Tassos Tsiamis on the scene of the bombing of a bridge and sharing the details with The National Herald.

In particular, just outside Kyiv, the army and civilians, including Tsiamis, tried for several hours to evacuate civilians, with the snapshots going around the world and being indicative of the drama and despair experienced by civilians since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Irpin is located about 20 kilometers northwest of Kyiv and was a solution for many Ukrainians to travel on foot, crossing bombed roads and damaged bridges to escape the city. Russian forces have occupied about 30 percent of Irpin, but the rest of the city remains under Ukrainian control.

The expatriate businessman, who has been living in Kyiv for the last 15 years, spoke to TNH and conveyed the climate prevailing in Kyiv, but also in the nearby Irpin region, which has been at the center of the battles between Russia and Ukraine for the last 24 hours. “We are near the fallen bridge of Irpin, suddenly the army asked us to leave and a shell exploded about 50 meters to our left, very close, where people were crossing the bridge to come to Kyiv. We saw the shell explode next to us, we’re lucky we are alive,” said Tsiamis, who conveyed to TNH the moments of horror that he experienced along with those who were there. “It was terrifying what we went through. Dozens of civilians were on the spot at the time. Women and children were shouting. In fact, when I asked one woman where she was going, she replied with tears in her eyes, “It doesn’t matter as long as I can save my children.”

According to an official announcement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, 2,000 citizens have fled the city of Irpin, including 200 children. In fact, a video sent to TNH by Tsiamis, available on TNH’s website, captures the damaged bridge in Irpin, but also the moment when civilians are trying to leave, with soldiers and volunteers doing what they can. Soldiers, journalists, and civilians were at the scene of the blast, while terrified dogs were heard barking.

Earlier, it was reported that three civilians were killed, including two children, as they were leaving the area, with the Russians attacking an evacuation point in Irpin. A wave of support has erupted on social media after the attack and the loss of civilians shown in shocking photos depicting Ukrainian citizens under another damaged bridge, due to the Russian bombing.

Oleksandra Mativchuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, posted new photos on her Twitter account, and images from Irpin were shared by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, with comments from around the world.

Finally, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced in a Twitter post on March 6 that he had spoken by telephone once again with U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss “security issues,” “financial support for Ukraine,” and “the continuation of sanctions” against Russia.