How Irpin Tax University Kept the Defense During the Occupation: The Story of “Temporary Residents”

Unique, extraordinary, one of a kind. This is the most common name of the State Tax University, located in picturesque Irpin, which trained exceptional specialists – tax police. It has graduated a large number of graduates, most of whom currently hold senior government positions, or have become successful businessmen, managers, tax collectors, customs officers, financiers and lawyers.

The University has repeatedly received international delegations, exchange students and organized various scientific and educational events. Its International Tax Congress is known not only throughout Ukraine, but also in many countries around the world.

Today, the university is also heard, but the reason is completely different. Destroyed walls, shattered windows, broken doors and disorder in the surviving offices, fragments of ammunition on the territory, traces of enemy equipment and pits from bombings on the asphalt. As well as the smell of burning in some rooms that burned to the ground, it is even difficult to navigate how many floors there were.

Since the beginning of the war, the university has become a haven for about 150 people, including not only university staff with their families, but also civilians in Irpin. As soon as the opportunity arose – people went to safe places, most of them succeeded. And there are those who courageously remain in Irpin and still continue to live within the university.

People are smiling, friendly and victorious. They receive and sort humanitarian aid, prepare fires and make tea, as well as help other residents of Irpin who live in neighboring houses. Dogs that also survived the “rescue operation” of the Russian world run boldly and confidently on the territory of the university.

“We went through everything here, we even managed to go into captivity”, said a university employee who has lived with his family since the beginning of the war. “We were bombed all the time. At first, we hid, then we learned to cook under fire or put out building fires, and on one such occasion, March 26, we were taken prisoner. We saw them (Rashists – ed.) before the captivity, they seized the premises of the Faculty of Tax Police and were based there. We thought it was Ukrainian defenders, because before that our guys had been there for some time. And from afar and in the dark you can’t tell who’s there, you can’t see the bandages. It turned out that it was the Russians, the company of the Omsk airborne assault division. They approached us and asked to bring to them everyone. Of course, we didn’t take all the people out, just a few guys and retirees came out. Although I asked everyone to leave their cell phones indoors, one boy took it with him. Accordingly, the Russians found the mobile phone, began to check the calls, and he called the defense to agree on the evacuation of women. The Russians thought he was a gunner and decided to shoot. I had to persuade them not to kill, to show the boy’s documents, and he comes from Donetsk and it saved him, so to speak – he was born in a shirt. They said that Donetsk residents are respected, so they didn’t kill the boy”.

According to the interlocutor of our publication, this was the fifth party of the Russian military that arrived in Irpin and was bombed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the Territorial Defense of Irpin. “They offered us to evacuate to Belarus, but we understand that they really wanted to build a human shield. While we were talking about it, the shelling started from our side, a mine flew into the building of the law school and the Russians got scared and started fleeing. When they left, they fired on everything, not in vain, without logic. The dormitories were fired upon, the “mukha” hit the 5th floor, it burned down completely. These are the last Russians we had. The 5th party that our defenders “buried”, says a university employee.

Temporary residents of the university who were taken prisoner tried to find out from the rashists what they were doing on Ukrainian soil and did not hear any answers. “When asked why they came, the Russians began to react aggressively and became inadequate. For example, at first, they told us to give them our phones and promised to return them, and then their company commander came and ordered the cell phones to be smashed, which they did with bayonets. Then an old man rode a bicycle with water bottles, they decided to kill him because they thought he was a corrector. But the man was also born in a shirt, we gave him medical care and he went home. Or, for example, they wanted to treat us to cookies and water that were stolen from our premises. There is no logic”, the university employee emphasized.

In addition, the Russian occupiers knocked out doors in offices, turned everything upside down, probably robbed. This will be known later, as most of the staff is currently in the Chernivtsi region, where the university was temporarily evacuated and continues to provide educational services.

Nevertheless, the surviving anthem of the University and the wall with the name of the institution of higher education became a symbol of steadfastness and further revival. Also, gratifying is the fact that despite the constant shelling, bombing and captivity, none of the temporary residents of the university were injured. This means that Ukraine will simply not be broken, and the Ukrainian one will not be destroyed.

It will be recalled that Irpin was liberated from the Russian occupiers on March 28, and the educational process began on April 4 at the State Tax University.

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