Author: Irpin Independent

The city of Irpin, once a key battleground in the defense of Kyiv during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, will soon be home to its first McDonald’s restaurant, a 550-square-meter location slated to open near the city’s railway station. The development marks a milestone in Irpin’s postwar recovery and ongoing reconstruction efforts. The restaurant will be located at 4-B Tsentralna Street, in proximity to the central transit corridor and within walking distance of the train terminal. It will include a large terrace, modern McDrive service lanes, and dedicated parking spaces for drivers waiting on mobile orders. “Like...

On the second anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv region from Russian invaders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the raising of the State Flag of Ukraine on the flagpole of the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community. By the end of March 2022, invading Russian forces had failed to capture the capital of Kyiv, and were driven out of the region in a humiliating defeat. But upon liberation, the residents of the area who survived the vicious occupation were finally able to take a full measure of the brutal war crimes that Russian troops had committed...

In a recent interview with the Polish publication “Gazeta Wyborcza,” the Mayor of Milwaukee’s Sister City detailed his frustration with foreign foundations that toured Irpin with promises of help for its reconstruction, only to used the visits as a public relations stunt. Before the war, Irpin was one of the richest cities in Ukraine. Damage and losses resulting from Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion has been estimated at a billion dollars. The reconstruction fund for Irpin was established after many foreign foundations highlighted the city’s need to recover from the devastation. But after months without providing any of the promised...

Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin began publishing video stories about local families who saw their homes destroyed in February and March by the brutal Russian invaders. The effort is part of an Irpin Reconstruction Fund to assist displaced residents. Former Mayor of Irpin Volodymyr Karplyuk co-founded the fund, and is chairman of the Irpin Investment Council that is overseeing the city’s recovery from war damage. The Restoration Fund was created with the goal of attracting financial, material, technical and organizational resources to replace vital residential infrastructure destroyed during the Russian attempt to capture Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. “There are...

Oleksandr Markushin, Mayor of Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin, announced on September 29 the start of the process to restore residential buildings damaged in the early days of Russia’s unprovoked wide-scale invasion. The first civilian structure to be dismantled for the project was the iconic building located by the Hostomel Highway. Along with the destroyed Irpin Bridge, the residential complex appeared predominately in news images of the invasion, and underscored the extent of Russian war crimes. According to Mayor Markushin, it was the first building in the city that was damaged by an enemy airstrike. “At the beginning of...