A boy plays on a swing in front of a damaged residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Chris McGrath, 2022 Getty Images)
After weeks of buildup, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, invading the country from the north, east and south, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases.
The Ukrainian president said at least 137 of its soldiers were killed Thursday. And as of Friday, at least 74 Ukrainian military facilities had been destroyed.
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Also on Friday, Russia pressed its invasion, with explosions beginning before dawn in Kyiv and multiple other cities, and gunfire being reported in the city center later.
The military reported Friday that Russian spies and saboteurs were seen in a district on the outskirts of Kyiv, and police told people not to exit a subway station in the city center due to gunfire in the area.
Russia’s attack is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kyiv “could well be under siege” in what U.S. officials believe is a brazen attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to install his own regime.
While images can’t do justice to what’s happening in Ukraine and to its people, the photos below are a slight look into the heartbreaking reality the citizens there are facing.
Warning: Some photos below may be graphic in nature.
A local resident cleans his apartment damaged by a missile on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Thursday, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling. (2022 Getty Images)Hundreds of residents from a residential building damaged by a missile gather in a bomb shelter in the basement of a school on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A residential building damaged by a missile on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A couple look at their apartment damaged by a missile on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)Vladimir collects belongings in his bedroom after it was damaged by a missile on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Vladimir was wounded on his face by an exploding window. (2022 Getty Images)A boy plays on a swing in front of a damaged residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)People look at the exterior of a damaged residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A Ukrainian police officer stands in front of a damaged residential block, hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)People look at the exterior of a damaged residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A burned, damaged bedroom of an apartment is seen in a residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A burned, damaged bedroom of an apartment is seen in a residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)People take photos of damage caused by a rocket on Feb. 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Overnight, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with explosions reported in multiple cities and far outside the restive eastern regions held by Russian-backed rebels. (2022 Getty Images)Members of the territorial defense are seen near the recruitment office in Kyiv on Feb. 25, 2022, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A resident looks through her belongings in a damaged room of her apartment in a residential block hit by an early morning missile strike on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)People take shelter from bombings in an underground station on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)People wait for a delayed train to the west of Ukraine on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)A Ukrainian serviceman checks a vehicle at a security checkpoint on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)People shelter in a subway station before a curfew comes into effect on Feb. 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)Military personnel throw items into a fire outside an intelligence building on Feb. 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (2022 Getty Images)
Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.
