soldiers have been digging trenches and blocking roads with anti tank obstacles. the towns of bucha, hostomel and irpin have been under heavy bombardment. civilians trying to flee the fighting have been killed by russian mortarfire.the bbc s jeremy bowen has spent the day in nearby irpin and there are some distressing details in his report. russian shelling might break ukraine s will to fight but not yet. they had to keep moving. until the last minute these families have hung on, leaving your home even in a war is a giant step. they are heading towards the capital, still almost untouched but only about ten miles away. she was as dignified as a woman striding to the park.
the intensity of firepower. then every second it s something else. you know, you know that you re taking heavy machine guns, you can hear the rocket-propelled grenades coming in and you hear the mortarfire, and you think, when is this going to end? were the soldiers doing anything extra to protect you because you were a journalist? you know, they always do. there s no way around it, there just is. the first person they think about, the soldier nearest you, the first person he think about is getting you to safety. i know you re a veteran correspondent, you ve been in war zones your whole professional life. i have to ask you, why do you subject your to these risks? you now have two little children at home. i know. it s the worst question anyone can ask you is are you a war junkie, do you do this for adrenaline? anyone who s had babies, any mother, knows how hard it is to leave your children. what s your answer to that question? it s i m absolutely, absolutely committed to t