Ukrainians under heavy bombardment for a week in the northwest outskirts of Kyiv finally were able to flee, CNN's Clarissa Ward reported from the entrance to the city of Irpin.
A bridge was destroyed by Ukrainian forces to prevent Russian forces from moving on central Kyiv, she reported.
"We're seeing a lot of people who are clearly, visibly shaken, petrified because they have been trapped in terrible bombardment for days on end and are just now starting to get out," Ward said.
She said there has been the sound of constant artillery in the background.
"A lot of people are not leaving their homes yet. A lot of people can't get their head around the idea of simply deserting their lives, their families, their homes, their pets, their houses, everything they've worked so hard for. And so, it's extraordinary to see what a high threshold many Ukrainians have. It takes a lot before they're willing to leave their homes. These people have been under bombardment for seven straight days and are only just leaving their homes. And they're leaving them reluctantly, and they're leaving them with the knowledge that they might not be able to go back to them," she said.
People with pets and other belongings, including many elderly Ukrainians, made their way through twisted metal.
Ward paused reporting for a few seconds to assist an elderly man who was struggling to walk and to help a woman carry her bag.
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