‘Irpin is not for sale’: Ukrainian mayor’s defiant response to ‘Russian ultimatum to accept bribe or die’

The besieged city of Irpin lies in ruins on the outskirts of Kyiv after heavy Russian bombardment left several dead earlier this week.

As pictures emerged of hundreds of Ukrainians attempting to flee the city using a makeshift bridge, mayor Oleksandr Markushyn received a text message from a Russian number.

The message, sent at teatime on Monday, contained a stark ultimatum: either accept a bribe and surrender, or fight and be killed.

It read: “Dear Alexander, you have the opportunity to save life and health, and maybe improve your financial situation. If you are interested in the offer, send a ‘plus’ sign in a response message. The validity of the message is 24 hours.”

But unfazed, Mr Markushyn replied with a minus sign and hit back with a demand of his own.

Sharing a screenshot of the exchange, he wrote on his official Telegram and Facebook accounts: “I am making a public counter-offer to the occupiers.

“If you leave the territory of Irpin within 24 hours, you can save the lives of several thousand Russian conscript soldiers, whose beloved mothers, sisters, daughters and grandmothers are waiting at home.”

He added: “I am surprised that these monsters have not yet understood – Irpin is not for sale, Irpin is fighting!”

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Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky vowed to find and punish “every b*****d” who commits atrocities during the conflict after eight civilians were killed by Russian shelling while fleeing Irpin on Sunday.

Among the casualties were a mother and her two children attempting to flee along a humanitarian corridor during a supposed ceasefire.

IT worker Tatyana Perebeynos, 43, her nine-year-old daughter Alise and 18-year-old son Nikita are believed to have been the people pictured lying dead on a roadside surrounded by their belongings in a widely-circulated but distressing image.

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Her husband Sergey Perebeynos paid tribute to his family in an emotional Facebook post, writing: “Forgive me, I didn’t cover you.”

Mr Markushyn’s spokesman said he believed at least 50 people had died in the city so far, telling The Telegraph: “It is chaos there. The Russians are not observing any kind of ceasefire.”

Hundreds of Ukrainians living in towns occupied by Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv fled on Wednesday, 14 days after the invasion began.

Streams of cars - some fixed with white flags - filed down the road, joined by lines of yellow buses marked with red crosses.

The Interior Ministry said about 700 people were evacuated from Vorzel and Irpin, while people from three other Kyiv suburbs were unable to leave. Some who managed to get out said they hadn’t eaten in days.

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