On February 24, Russia launched a full-scale offensive against Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin called it “a special operation of denazification and demilitarization,” but in fact started a war and genocide against the Ukrainian people. In the first two weeks, the Russian army destroyed apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, airports, and military objects in cities and towns in Ukraine. Some cities now look like Grozny bombed by the Russian army during the first Chechen war.
Zaborona selected pictures from Ukrainian cities as they were before the aggressor’s full-scale offensive. You can see all the diversity and beauty of the country. When the war is over, we will rebuild everything we loved so much.
Severodonetsk
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Mariupol
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Zhytomyr
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Kharkiv
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Kherson region
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Photo: Andriy Boyko / Zaborona
Chernihiv
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
Photo: Ivan Chernichkin / Zaborona
What these cities look like now
Residents of Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, in a basement during a heavy shelling by Russian troops and Russian-backed separatists on February 28, 2022. Photo: ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP via Getty Images
A dead resident of Mariupol on the street, March 8, 2022. Photo: Yevgeniy Maloletka / Facebook
A local resident standing in front of a destroyed house in Zhytomyr on March 2, 2022 after Russian bombing the day before. On March 1, 2022, at least 3 people were killed and about 20 wounded, a local market and at least 10 homes were destroyed in the shelling. Photo: EMMANUEL DUPARCQ/AFP via Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier looking at the destruction after shelling of Ukraine’s second-largest city on March 7, 2022. On the 12th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on March 7, 2022, Russian troops laid siege to the key southern port of Mariupol and sought to increase pressure on the capital Kyiv. Photo: SERGEY BOBOK / AFP via Getty Images
@talkradio_tv A Ukrainian protestor has been filmed climbing on top of a Russian tank in Kherson waving the Ukrainian flag. #Kherson #Ukraine ♬ original sound – talkRADIO TV
Locals walk in front of residences damaged in yesterday’s shelling in the city of Chernihiv on March 4, 2022. On March 4, 47 people were killed when Russian troops shelled residential neighborhoods, including schools and apartment buildings. Photo: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
