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War in Ukraine

The Images That Capture the 1000 Days of Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion

The Images That Capture the 1000 Days of Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion

For over 1,000 days of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have been resisting Russian aggression and defending their country’s sovereignty. Moments of hope, resilience, and pride have given millions of people the strength to carry on. But pain—both collective and personal—has been present throughout every victory, every defense, and every loss.

This complex and often contradicting experience has been captured through powerful imagery—from the first day that Russian missiles started flying onto peaceful Ukrainian cities. We take a moment to look back at some of the defining moments of the war in Ukraine since February 2022.

HOSTOMEL, UKRAINE - APRIL 3, 2022: Ukrainian documentary photographer Oleksandr Hliadielov is pictured taking photos of the aftermath of one of the first battles of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, that started on the 24th of February, 2024 at the Antonov Airport. The photo shows the charred remains of the Antonov An-225 Mriya—the largest cargo aircraft in the world—destroyed by Russia after their failed attempt to capture the key Ukrainian airfield—just 12km from Kyiv. Surrounding the wreckage, remains of Russian military vehicles lie scattered. This was one of the defining moments that marked an escalation of the war that Russia started in 2014. (Photo by Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
HOSTOMEL, UKRAINE - APRIL 3, 2022: Ukrainian documentary photographer Oleksandr Hliadielov is pictured taking photos of the aftermath of one of the first battles of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, that started on the 24th of February, 2024 at the Antonov Airport. The photo shows the charred remains of the Antonov An-225 Mriya—the largest cargo aircraft in the world—destroyed by Russia after their failed attempt to capture the key Ukrainian airfield—just 12km from Kyiv. Surrounding the wreckage, remains of Russian military vehicles lie scattered. This was one of the defining moments that marked an escalation of the war that Russia started in 2014. (Photo by Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
IZIUM, UKRAINE - March 3, 2023: Crosses bearing the names of people killed by Russia are pictured lying among pines at a mass grave site near Izium. They serve as a testament to the atrocities committed during Russia’s occupation of the town, with the forest now holding only crosses and empty pits. Ater Izium's liberation by the Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian law enforcement exhumated 450 bodies, most of them civillians, from the mass grave. (Photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
IZIUM, UKRAINE - March 3, 2023: Crosses bearing the names of people killed by Russia are pictured lying among pines at a mass grave site near Izium. They serve as a testament to the atrocities committed during Russia’s occupation of the town, with the forest now holding only crosses and empty pits. Ater Izium's liberation by the Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian law enforcement exhumated 450 bodies, most of them civillians, from the mass grave. (Photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
MARIUPOL, UKRAINE - May 10, 2022: This photograph, released by Azov, shows injured Ukrainian soldier Mykhailo Dianov within the besieged Azovstal Plant. The image, taken during the height of Russia's brutal invasion, highlights the dire conditions faced by Ukrainian soldiers who held out against Russian forces who had encircled them. Azovstal, once a sprawling industrial fortress, became the last bastion of resistance in Mariupol, with people enduring relentless bombardment, dwindling supplies, and severe injuries. (Photo by Dmytro 'Orest' Kozatskyi / various sources / AFP) (Photo by DMYTRO 'OREST' KOZATSKYI/AFP via Getty Images)
MARIUPOL, UKRAINE - May 10, 2022: This photograph, released by Azov, shows injured Ukrainian soldier Mykhailo Dianov within the besieged Azovstal Plant. The image, taken during the height of Russia's brutal invasion, highlights the dire conditions faced by Ukrainian soldiers who held out against Russian forces who had encircled them. Azovstal, once a sprawling industrial fortress, became the last bastion of resistance in Mariupol, with people enduring relentless bombardment, dwindling supplies, and severe injuries. (Photo by Dmytro 'Orest' Kozatskyi / various sources / AFP) (Photo by DMYTRO 'OREST' KOZATSKYI/AFP via Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 10, 2023: Family, friends, and the public gathered at Independence Square in Ukraine’s capital to pay their final respects to Dmytro Kotsiubailo, a revered Ukrainian serviceman known by the call sign "Da Vinci." At just 27 years old, Kotsiubailo was the commander of the First Mechanized Battalion, famously called "Da Vinci Wolves," and was killed by Russia in Bakhmut. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 10, 2023: Family, friends, and the public gathered at Independence Square in Ukraine’s capital to pay their final respects to Dmytro Kotsiubailo, a revered Ukrainian serviceman known by the call sign "Da Vinci." At just 27 years old, Kotsiubailo was the commander of the First Mechanized Battalion, famously called "Da Vinci Wolves," and was killed by Russia in Bakhmut. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)
AVDIIVKA, UKRAINE - MAY, 2023. This image shows the evacuation of animals from a farm destroyed by Russian shelling. The ground is marked with craters from airstrikes, artillery remnants, and Grad rockets. Several horses had already been killed, and others were injured. The evacuation took days. The farm, located in Avdiivka, was still under fire during the process, with shelling occurring nearby. Many of the horses were not used to wearing bridles, making it difficult to load them into transport trucks. (LIBKOS.)
AVDIIVKA, UKRAINE - MAY, 2023. This image shows the evacuation of animals from a farm destroyed by Russian shelling. The ground is marked with craters from airstrikes, artillery remnants, and Grad rockets. Several horses had already been killed, and others were injured. The evacuation took days. The farm, located in Avdiivka, was still under fire during the process, with shelling occurring nearby. Many of the horses were not used to wearing bridles, making it difficult to load them into transport trucks. (LIBKOS.)
KHERSON REGION, UKRAINE - JULY, 2023: Russia blew up the Kakhovka Dam in the Kherson Region of Ukraine, causing catastrophic flooding of hundreds of Ukrainian villages and towns. This image pictures the evacuation of a local resident—with their pet and belongings—as Ukrainian volunteers rushed to the affected area to help thousands of people and animals whose homes were flooded by water. (LIBKOS)
KHERSON REGION, UKRAINE - JULY, 2023: Russia blew up the Kakhovka Dam in the Kherson Region of Ukraine, causing catastrophic flooding of hundreds of Ukrainian villages and towns. This image pictures the evacuation of a local resident—with their pet and belongings—as Ukrainian volunteers rushed to the affected area to help thousands of people and animals whose homes were flooded by water. (LIBKOS)
MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 8, 2023: Children evacuated from the Kherson Region share a meal in a canteen at a refugee reception center in Mykolaiv, a southern Ukrainian city. Since its liberation on November 11, 2022, after over eight months under Russian occupation, Kherson has endured relentless Russian shelling. Perched along the Dnipro River, the city lies on the volatile front line, where Ukrainian forces have been trying to breach Russian positions on the opposite bank. With the danger escalating, many families—especially those with children—have chosen to evacuate, while others have decided to remain despite the risks. (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images)
MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 8, 2023: Children evacuated from the Kherson Region share a meal in a canteen at a refugee reception center in Mykolaiv, a southern Ukrainian city. Since its liberation on November 11, 2022, after over eight months under Russian occupation, Kherson has endured relentless Russian shelling. Perched along the Dnipro River, the city lies on the volatile front line, where Ukrainian forces have been trying to breach Russian positions on the opposite bank. With the danger escalating, many families—especially those with children—have chosen to evacuate, while others have decided to remain despite the risks. (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 22, 2023: Inessa embraces her son, Vitaly, as he steps off the bus that brought him and over a dozen other children back from Russian-occupied territory to Kyiv. Since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have reportedly been deported and forcibly transfered to Russia and Russian-occupied territories, with many sent to institutions or placed in foster care. (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 22, 2023: Inessa embraces her son, Vitaly, as he steps off the bus that brought him and over a dozen other children back from Russian-occupied territory to Kyiv. Since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have reportedly been deported and forcibly transfered to Russia and Russian-occupied territories, with many sent to institutions or placed in foster care. (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images)
UKRAINE - JANUARY 2, 2024: This image captures a rescue worker evacuating a man from the site of ruins of a residential building following one of the largest Russian attacks on Ukraine using weapons of various types and modifications. 2 people were killed and 50 were injured, with psychological assistance provided to 80 people. (Photo by Pavlo Petrov / DSNS)
UKRAINE - JANUARY 2, 2024: This image captures a rescue worker evacuating a man from the site of ruins of a residential building following one of the largest Russian attacks on Ukraine using weapons of various types and modifications. 2 people were killed and 50 were injured, with psychological assistance provided to 80 people. (Photo by Pavlo Petrov / DSNS)
UKRAINE - JUNE 6 2024: A Ukrainian soldier, recently freed from captivity by Russian forces, is examined by medical staff while undergoing rehabilitation at a facility in Ukraine. The soldiers being treated here were among 75 Ukrainians released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia on May 31. Many of the soldiers endured severe conditions in captivity, losing significant weight. By the time these photos were taken, each had regained approximately 10 kilograms, marking a step forward in their recovery journey. (Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
UKRAINE - JUNE 6 2024: A Ukrainian soldier, recently freed from captivity by Russian forces, is examined by medical staff while undergoing rehabilitation at a facility in Ukraine. The soldiers being treated here were among 75 Ukrainians released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia on May 31. Many of the soldiers endured severe conditions in captivity, losing significant weight. By the time these photos were taken, each had regained approximately 10 kilograms, marking a step forward in their recovery journey. (Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
UKRAINE - JUNE 13, 2024: Over 250 rescuers worked for over a day to extinguish a fire in the Kyiv region caused by Russia's strike. (Photo by Pavlo Petrov / DSNS)
UKRAINE - JUNE 13, 2024: Over 250 rescuers worked for over a day to extinguish a fire in the Kyiv region caused by Russia's strike. (Photo by Pavlo Petrov / DSNS)
KYIV, UKRAINE - JULY 8, 2024: Volunteers, including medical personnel, joined emergency and rescue teams in clearing the rubble at Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv after a Russian missile strike on July 8, 2024, during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP) (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE - JULY 8, 2024: Volunteers, including medical personnel, joined emergency and rescue teams in clearing the rubble at Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv after a Russian missile strike on July 8, 2024, during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP) (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images)
LVIV, UKRAINE - JULY 28, 2024: During a "Free Azov" rally in Lviv, Ukraine, priests lead a prayer honoring the memory of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were killed in a Russian attack on Olenivka prison. The event traces back to the night of July 29, 2022, when at least 54 Ukrainian servicemen taken captive from Azovstal to a Russian-occupied penal colony in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, were killed by Russia in an attack. The "Free Azov" rallies, held across Ukrainian cities, unite activists and relatives of many POWs to raise awareness and demand justice for the defenders of Mariupol, many of whom have been in Russian captivity for over two years. (Photo by Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images).
LVIV, UKRAINE - JULY 28, 2024: During a "Free Azov" rally in Lviv, Ukraine, priests lead a prayer honoring the memory of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were killed in a Russian attack on Olenivka prison. The event traces back to the night of July 29, 2022, when at least 54 Ukrainian servicemen taken captive from Azovstal to a Russian-occupied penal colony in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, were killed by Russia in an attack. The "Free Azov" rallies, held across Ukrainian cities, unite activists and relatives of many POWs to raise awareness and demand justice for the defenders of Mariupol, many of whom have been in Russian captivity for over two years. (Photo by Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images).
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