Bridge over Irpin River

Sergey Revenko, 28, who works at an architectural office in Kyiv, took about 1,500 photos of a destroyed bridge to create a 3-D model.

The bridge spanned a river that forms the border between Kyiv and the suburb of lrpin. In late February, Ukrainian forces deliberately blew it up to stop Russian forces from advancing on Kyiv. Although Russian troops would occupy Irpin, it was later liberated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had expressed his intention to have the damaged bridge preserved as a war relic. Hearing that, Revenko and his colleagues, created the 3-D model as a resource. When he posted it on social media, it elicited responses such as “I makes me feel as if I am actually there.”

Since then, Revenko traveled to a number of places that had suffered severe devastation from the fighting, including Bucha, where more than 400 corpses were found in the wake of a Russian retreat. He took photos of various structures that would become remnants of war and created 3-D models that he posted on the internet.

“We want many people both in and out of the country to remember just how much of a tragedy has occurred in Ukraine,” Revenko said.

On the south side of the bridge, cranes and other machinery are busy constructing an alternate road.

Roman Mokruk, 32, a supervisor for the construction site, once evacuated with his family to the relatively safe western part of the country. However, he returned to Kyiv by himself, saying that if the Russian army destroyed Ukraine, there would be no more chances to return to his hometown. He has deep feelings for the bridge, which has carried so many people. He is in favor of its preservation.

On the other hand, he also believes that “Many people want to return to their former peaceful lives. What is most needed is reconstruction.”

Local residents are working hard to record the names of those who have lost their lives in the war, gazing as they do so at the national flag they’re writing on.

Special cooperation: Prof. Hidenori Watanave (University of Tokyo Graduate School)

Reporting: Makiko Yanada, Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent