Struggle goes on: second year of Great War in photos by Ukrinform
February is now in its second year in Ukraine. The decade-long war waged by Russia against Ukraine continues. Starting with the occupation of Crimea, certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russian aggression gained new dimensions at dawn on February 24, 2022. The confrontation spread across the country and became the first continental war in Europe in the 21st century.
All this time, Ukrinform's photojournalists have been recording the course of the Great War, in which Ukraine is defending not only its borders but also its European choice and national identity. Here is a selection of photos taken during the second year of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Every day, in their resistance to the Russian aggressor, Ukrainians demonstrate to the world their dedication, courage, resilience, and courage in the face of a cruel and insidious enemy who is outnumbered. And they pay for freedom with the lives of soldiers and civilians, their homes and health.
A man with a child in his arms looks at a multi-storey residential building in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv that was damaged by a Russian missile attack, Kyiv, February 7, 2024.
A bloody woman who was injured as a result of a missile attack by Russian troops on Kharkiv, inside an ambulance, January 23, 2024.
Rescuers pull out a victim during the elimination of the consequences of a rocket attack by Russian troops on a residential high-rise building, Zaporizhzhia, March 2, 2023.
A man injured in the Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, December 29, 2023.
A wounded serviceman receives first aid at the stabilization point of the medical service of one of the brigades fighting in the Zaporizhzhia sector, Zaporizhzhia region, July 27, 2023.
Lighted lamps near the graves of Ukrainian defenders buried on the Mars Field on All Saints' Day, Lviv, November 1, 2023.
National unity has been the basis of resistance since the first days of the full-scale attack. The offensive of Russian troops was stopped thanks to the joint efforts of Ukrainians who stood up to defend the state in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the mass volunteer movement.
A soldier of the Dnipro Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which defends the Zaporizhzhia direction, during a training session, June 15, 2023.
Servicemen of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade pass a special obstacle course during an exam to receive a mountain assault beret, Zaporizhzhia region, June 30, 2023.
A servicewoman of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade of the Transcarpathian region passes an obstacle course as part of a test after which she received a beret with an edelweiss flower, Zaporizhzhia region, July 14, 2023.
A 79-year-old volunteer known as "Uncle Fedir" is responsible for making trench candles for Ukrainian soldiers at the Palianytsia volunteer center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on December 5, 2023.
Ukrainian soldiers are fighting on the frontline for every inch of Ukrainian land, destroying the enemy, and mastering the latest weapons, both foreign and Ukrainian. Between February 24, 2022 and February 24, 2024, the Ukrainian Defense Forces eliminated about 409,010 Russian invaders, including 770 people over the past 24 hours.
The work of the Odesa mortar crew of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Mazepa, which serves in the Lyman direction, on October 8, 2023.
A serviceman of the platoon of the unmanned aerial vehicle strike complexes (RUBAC) "Vykhor. Dnipro" platoon of the 108th Separate Tank Brigade during a demonstration of the launch of the Ukrainian-made Vampire hexacopter, which is equipped with a thermal imager and can carry a weight of up to 15 kg, Zaporizhzhia region, February 2, 2024.
Servicemen of the 108th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who are defending Ukraine from the Russian aggressor in the Zaporizhzhia direction, November 4, 2023.
A serviceman of the aerial reconnaissance platoon of the 108th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which defends Ukraine from the Russian aggressor in the Zaporizhzhia direction, and a Leleka-100 UAV, February 15, 2024.
A serviceman of the 66th separate artillery battalion of the 406th separate artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the American howitzer M777, Zaporizhzhia direction, January 14, 2024.
Destroyed Russian military equipment in a village on the border of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, which was under occupation for more than a year, Novodarivka village, July 21, 2023.
The remains of a Russian soldier near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, February 21, 2024.
Throughout this time, the Russian terrorist state has not been able to win on the battlefield, so it has resorted to barbaric shelling of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Most missile attacks are aimed at civilian objects.
A fire truck at the site of the aftermath of a rocket attack by Russian troops on a residential complex, Odesa, December 29, 2023.
Elimination of the consequences of a Russian missile attack, Zaporizhzhia, December 29, 2023.
Local residents and volunteers near a damaged residential building during the aftermath of Russian shelling in the Solomiansky district of Kyiv, January 3, 2024.
Children's sports backpacks hang on the wall of a residential building that survived the Russian shelling in the frontline town of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, on September 7, 2023.
A corridor in Kurakhove gymnasium No. 2, damaged by Russian rocket fire, Kurakhove, Donetsk region, August 12, 2023.
An icon in a lyceum damaged by a Russian missile attack, Lviv, December 29, 2023.
The museum of UPA commander general Roman Shukhevych, destroyed in a kamikaze drone attack by Russian troops, Lviv, January 1, 2024.
A crater caused by a Russian missile hit near the Odesa National Art Museum, Odesa, November 6, 2023.
A fire on a gas pipeline in the Podil district caused by the fall of missile debris after Russian troops launched a massive attack on the capital, Kyiv, January 2, 2024.
Rescuers during the aftermath of a Russian missile strike in the city center, Kharkiv, December 30, 2023.
A residential building destroyed by Russian shelling in the frontline city of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, May 5, 2023.
Ukrainians spend dozens of hours in shelters, rebuilding destroyed housing, and helping wounded soldiers rehabilitate.
An elderly man waits for an air raid alert in a shelter at the Khytrychenko Combined Arms School #13 in Kyiv, January 23, 2024.
A man works to restore a residential high-rise building that was hit by a Russian S-300 missile on October 6, 2022, Zaporizhzhia, February 1, 2024.
Patient Volodymyr tries out new prostheses during a training session at the Superhumans Center, Lviv region, August 9, 2023.
According to the United Nations, as of February 20, more than 30,000 Ukrainian civilians were victims of the full-scale aggression: more than 10,000 were killed and more than 19,000 were injured. However, this is only the number of civilian casualties verified by the organization. In fact, there are many more, but the exact number is currently impossible to establish.
Forensic experts working to identify the bodies of those killed by a Russian missile strike on the village of Groza, Kupiansk district, Kharkiv region, Kharkiv, October 9, 2023.
Evacuation of victims of a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv, January 23, 2024.
First aid is provided to a victim of a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv, January 23, 2024.
A psychologist of the State Emergency Service talks to the father of a 21-year-old guard of a civilian building who died as a result of a Russian missile attack on the city, Odesa, 20 July 2023.
Another 23,000 people were reported missing as of February 19, according to the Red Cross. More than 6 million Ukrainians, the UN says, have become refugees, seeking refuge abroad. According to the government, almost 5 million Ukrainians are internally displaced.
Boys who were taken out of frontline Stepnohirsk with their parents by a police evacuation team are fitted with helmets and life jackets, Zaporizhzhia region, August 31, 2023.
An elderly woman on the territory of the Lastivka modular town for people who lost their homes as a result of hostilities, Irpin, Kyiv region, May 13, 2023.
The United Nations has recognized Russia's war against Ukraine as the most serious armed conflict in Europe since World War II. Ukraine has been able to effectively deter Russian military aggression thanks to its efforts on the military, diplomatic, and information fronts, as well as strong international support - military, political, economic, financial, and humanitarian. However, for the final victory, Ukraine needs even more consolidated assistance, especially in the military sphere.
The water level in the Kakhovka Reservoir near Nikopol has dropped critically after Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, Nikopol, Dnipro region, June 9, 2023.
A woman walks along a street in Kherson, Ukraine, on June 6, 2023, after Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam.
A sapper during a press tour to demonstrate the integration of artificial intelligence into humanitarian demining, Zhytomyr region, September 20, 2023.
The site of the discovery of a Russian missile warhead that fell dangerously close to residential buildings during a morning attack in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv, January 23, 2024.
Since 2014, Ukraine has been waging a just war to preserve its independence, the right to free choice, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The struggle is ongoing and requires extraordinary efforts from Ukrainians, who continue to make them to defeat the Russian aggressor.
A serviceman kisses a woman on the platform of the Kramatorsk railway station, Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, January 13, 2024.
"Valentynka" among the broken glass on the floor in a school damaged by Russian rocket fire in Lviv, February 15, 2024.
Participants of the action in support of the captured defenders of Mariupol "Don't be silent! Captivity Kills" with fireworks, Zaporizhzhia, December 17, 2023.
Participants of the Ukrainian record-breaking event unfurled the longest Ukrainian flag with wishes from soldiers (on the yellow part of the flag) and children (on the blue part) collected across Ukraine and the front line on the occasion of the Day of Unity of Ukraine and the 105th anniversary of the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic near the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Solomiya Krushelnytska, Lviv, January 21, 2024.
