Ukraine war: Pictures of war intensifying in third wееk

It’s already week three of the Russian invasion – and the scenes below are becoming all too familiar across Ukraine.

Cities across the country often wake up to the haunting call of air raid sirens and skies filled with traces of rockets, missiles and artillery strikes, like this one from Baryshivka, east of the capital, Kyiv.

A smoke trail from a rocket launch could be seen in the evening sky in Baryshivka, Ukraine, 11 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Russia may have been slow to advance inside Ukrainian territory, but the shelling has been intense.

The Russians say they are hitting military targets – the scene below is from a storage facility in Kalynivka, in the centre of the country.

A woman holds her nose to prevent inhaling the smell of chemicals caused by the plume of smoke from the fire caused by a Russian bombardment of a storage facility on the edge of Kalynivka, 8 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Ukrainians, however, say the occupying force has been aiming for civilian targets indiscriminately.

One of the worst-hit cities has been Kharkiv in the east.

The BBC’s Quentin Sommerville says entering the centre of the city is almost like entering another world. Few neighbourhoods have escaped some kind of damage.

A destroyed armoured troop-carrier stands in front of a destroyed building in Kharkiv, 11 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,EPA

The relentless Russian shelling has meant that most of the 1.5 million population has fled.

Early in the mornings, queues can still be seen at pharmacies, banks, supermarkets and petrol stations, as those who stayed behind stock up on supplies, our correspondent says.

A huge logistical and humanitarian effort is going on behind the scenes to keep Kharkiv running – these volunteers below are preparing food for the defenders, and others who may need it.

Volunteers prepare food in Kharkiv, 11March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

And the toll is mounting by the day. Even though official figures are patchy, thousands are believed to have lost their lives or sustained serious injuries, many losing limbs in the shelling.

Ukrainian service personnel visit their comrades Vitaly, who lost his hand, and Pasha, who wounded his knee, as they recover in a local hospital in Brovary 10 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

The situation is said to be dire in the port city of Mariupol, which has been surrounded by Russian troops for nearly two weeks.

Authorities say nearly 1,600 have died as a result of Russian shelling alone – and they are unable to collect the bodies amid unrelenting Russian firepower to force it to surrender.

Debris is seen on site of the destroyed Mariupol children's hospital in Mariupol, 9 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Not far from Mariupol, another battle is being waged to conquer the city of Mykolaiv. Cluster bombs have been used, but the locals are resisting.

However, Mykolaiv’s governor Vitaly Kim is loath to celebrate prematurely, telling the BBC’s Andrew Harding, “We are winning this fight, but not this war.”

The casing of a Russian cluster bomb rocket is seen in Mykolaiv, 10 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,SCOTT PETERSON/GETTY IMAGES

Dnipro was hit for the first time on Friday – a day when Russia expanded its strikes from east, where the city lies, to the west.

Firefighters are seen at the site after air strikes hit civil settlements in Dnipro, 11 March 2022.IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

The capital city is bracing for the worst. Ukrainian forces have been holding the Russians back for days on the outskirts.

And in Kyiv city itself, volunteers have been preparing – digging trenches and building barricades. The city is turning into a fortress, says our correspondent there Jeremy Bowen.

https://www.bbc.com

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