Pidzamche, Lviv - 3/26/22

A hillside view over Lviv following a Russian airstrike on a fuel depot in the Pidzamche neighborhood on the outer edge of the city.

Pavlo Palamarchuk Reuters

Lviv Under Fire - 3/26/22

On a day when Russian military leaders appeared to publicly scale back and recalibrate the objectives of their operational aims by asserting the priority to take full control of the Donbas, airstrikes nonetheless hit a neighborhood on the outer edge of Lviv. This was only the third time that areas in Western Ukraine were targeted by Russia since the war began just over a month ago. Previously, the outskirts of Lviv had been hit. This time, a fuel depot in the Pidzamche neighborhood within the city limits was the main target. 

Lviv sits just 45 miles from the Polish border and is considered Ukraine's western cultural capital, and a city that has long been considered the western oriented in the country due to its history. The Russian attack occurred on the same day that President Biden was visiting Poland, where he gave a major address at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Marion Payet AFP

Przemysl Station - 3/25/22

Refugees from Ukraine pack the platform at Przemysl train station in eastern Poland. The majority of refugees have been women and children. 

Erin Schaff NYT

Lviv - 3/23/22

A Ukrainian pedestrian passes along the tram tracks in center of Lviv's Old Town. So far, the western Ukrainian city itself has remained largely untouched by Russian forces despite targeted airstrikes on its outskirts. The population has swelled with refugees and those seeking a way across the border and into Poland. Due to its history and location as a geographic under the former Hapsburg Empire and the Kingdom of Poland as well as under Ukrainian sovereignty, the city has long maintained strong cultural connections to the West. More so than perhaps any other city in Ukraine. It continues to be one of the cultural hubs of Ukraine.

Ivor Prickett NYT

Territorial Defense Kyiv - 3/20/22

Ukrainian Territorial Defense volunteers stand guard on the outskirts of Kyiv during the afternoon on Sunday, March 20th. Just this evening, Russian missiles struck the Retroville Mall in the Podilskyi district of northern Kyiv. 

Only hours earlier, Russian forces issued an ultimatum to the Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol to surrender by 5 am local time or face more destruction. The Ukrainian government swiftly rejected the Russian demand to surrender. The city of Mariupol has already faced war crimes and devastation that eerily mirrored Russian actions in cities like Aleppo in Syria. 

Ukrainian rescue workers are still working to save hundreds who had been sheltering under a theater in Mariupol, which was bombed earlier this week. Today, a Russian airstrike attacked another civilian target in the city. This time it was an art school which was bombed. Reports claim that dozens of Ukrainian civilians had been seeking shelter in the school as well. 

Ivor Prickett NYT

Zelenskyy Kikar HaBima - 3/20/22

President Zelenskyy's Zoom speech to the Knesset was live streamed today above HaBima Square in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of Israelis turned out to watch and show their support. Ukrainian-Israelis and Russian-Israelis protesting against the Putin regime made up a bulk of the audience. Many new arrivals to Israel from war torn Ukraine also attended.

The speech was not without controversy, though. Zelenskyy's Holocaust metaphor and particularly harsh tone towards Israel's government drew severe ire. It was the Holocaust comparison that attrached most of the backlash. 

However, it should be obvious that two things can be true at once. The first being that the comparison was inaccurate. The second should be an understanding that he is doing everything to help save his country and people who are being relentlessly attacked. Too much of the criticism against him for these comments lacks the empathy and understanding for the position he is in right now.

It is a more complex question to dissect the policies of the Israeli government towards Ukraine during the war. Humanitarian aid from Israel has flowed to Ukraine the entire time and the new Israel field hospital is being launched in Mostyska, about an hour and a half outside of Lviv in the western part of the country.

Below: Israelis watch and cheer Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy's speech to the Knesset at HaBima Square in Tel Aviv.

Jack Guez AFP

Outside Kyiv - 3/18/22

Ukrainian civilians continue to suffer the most and bear the brunt of relentless Russian attacks against homes, hospitals, schools, theaters, and more. As Russian forces have stalled outside many main Ukrainian cities, indiscriminate fire has been directed against civilians and non-military targets. Here, two girls console one another outside Kyiv at an aid station. A flood of refugees have escaped suburbs such as Irpin in order to seek a safe haven. However, Russian attacks have now expanded deep into previously untouched areas of the country such as near Lviv in Western Ukraine. There are hardly any areas left in the country that can be considered safe. 

Ukrainian ground forces continue to destroy Russian tank columns and other advancing units where the fighting is heaviest. However, there is major concern as street fighting has now been confirmed in the city center of the heavily besieged and bombed city of Mariupol. If the Russians take full control of Mariupol, it would be the first major Ukrainian city captured, and it would provide the needed ground to create a land bridge from the Donbas to Crimea.

Ivor Prickett NYT

Lviv - 3/18/22

In the central square of Lviv's Old Town, one hundred and nine empty prams were lined up to memorialize the number of children killed so far during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. May this horror end now.

AFP

Day 22 - 3/16/22

Russian movements have temporarily stalled yet intensive assaults against Ukrainian civilian targets have increased. Today, a theater in Mariupol was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. Hundreds of people had been seeking shelter there. 

Odessans continue to cautiously await and prepare for a potential Russian military incursion into their historic city. Here below, a soldier guards a coastline position to protect from a possible amphibious assault from the Black Sea. Ukrainian forces have inflicted massive losses to the Russian invaders and numerous reports relay the very real problems facing the Russian military right now.

Tyler Hicks NYT

Mariupol - 3/13/22

Amidst the devastation, a Ukrainian soldier advances through the rubble in the southeastern port city Mariupol. The Russian military has effectively placed a siege on the city and has targeted civilian areas such as hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, and offices. At least 2,187 people have reportedly died in the city since the start of the war.

Mstyslav Chernov AP

Luhansk 3/11/22

A Ukrainian soldier stands in the middle of a roadway in front of a tank in Luhansk. The intensity of Russia's attacks on Ukraine have increased significantly with heavier firepower being directed against civilian homes and infrastructure. Russian air strikes have also been reported as far west as Lutsk and Ivano-Frankvisk, a region which has been previously untouched by the fighting.

Anatolii Stepano/AFP/Getty Images

Irpin 3/8/22

Ukrainian soldiers assist elderly citizens along with women, children, and men to cross a destroyed bridge in the town of Irpin just outside Kyiv. Evacuations have been carried out over the past four days and have been limited due to Russian attacks. This photo was taken yesterday just before snow fell in the outskirts of Kyiv.

Guardian

God Save Ukraine 3/6/22

Russia's military  can no longer continue to kill innocent civilians with impunity. Following the murder of a family attempting to flee Irpin for Kyiv, Ukrainian President Zelensky issued a warning to those committing war crimes against innocent civilians.

“They were just trying to get out of town. To escape. The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine. We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war.” 

“There will be no quiet place on this earth for you. Except for the grave.” - President Zelensky, 3/6/22

    Lynsey Addario NYT

Radymno, Poland 3/6/22

Dusk scene at the train station in Radymno, Poland, which sits adjacent to Ukrainian border. The town has seen an influx of refugees fleeing war torn Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion over one and a half million Ukrainian refugees have fled the country to escape. Most have escaped to neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia. Refugees fleeing Ukraine represent the largest movement of people in Europe since the end of the Second World War.  

Maciek Nabrdalik NYT

Neglinnaya Street, Moscow 3/5/22

View of the Bank of Russia building on Neglinnaya Street in Moscow.

New York Times

Lviv 3/4/22

Lviv Old Town.

A statue is covered in protective layers to guard against a potential Russian bombardment on the city. Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing west to escape the Russian onslaught. 

Ivor Prickett NYT

Zelensky 3/3/22

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with reporters from the international press at a hastily assembled press conference in Kyiv. Zelenskyy spoke about his determination not to compromise on Ukraine's sovereignty, but claimed that he is open and available for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy was dressed in military style clothes and was flanked by armed security.

Lynsey Addario NYT

Kyiv Underground 3/3/22

Kyiv 3/3/22

A Ukrainian soldier guards the entrance to a Kyiv metro station where thousands of civilians are seeking shelter from Russian attacks on the city.

New York Times

Kyiv Metro 3/3/22

Approximately 15,000 Ukrainians are currently seeking refuge in the Kyiv metro to evade Russian attacks on the city. Nearly all are living in cramped, communal conditions. The majority are women and children, and some of elderly age women and men, the latter who are too old to fight. Most 18-60 year old men have joined newly formed territorial defense units to boost the Ukrainian military and protect their country.

New York Times

Kyiv Boulevard 3/2/22

A pair of Ukrainian soldiers ride atop an APC along a deserted boulevard in Kyiv during an air raid siren in the city. As the city is increasingly targeted by Russian missiles and artillery, fierce fighting continues on the outskirts where Ukrainian military personnel are seeking to hold off Russian forces.

Meanwhile, in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, a detachment of Russian paratroopers has reportedly landed and heavy combat in the city center is taking place.

Vadim Ghirda - AP

JCC Krakow - 3/2/22

The street scene outside the JCC Krakow on Tuesday, which featured a prominent yellow and blue sign welcoming Ukrainian refugees fleeing the devastation of war across the border. The Jewish community, in Krakow and throughout Poland, is mobilizing to assist refugees in need, both Jews and non-Jews.

Lazar Berman - Times of Israel

Bucha 3/1/22

A Ukrainian service member stands in front of a destroyed Russian armored personnel carrier outside the town of Bucha near the capital of Kyiv.

Serheii Nezhenko - AP

Kyiv Under Fire 3/1/22

Russian attacks have increased against Ukrainian civilian areas and infrastructure. Pictured below, Kyiv's TV tower was targeted by Russian missiles. The adjacent Babi Yar memorial, where tens of thousands of Jews were murdered during the Second World War, was also damaged.

The Ukrainian military and the defenders of the nation continue to soldier on and bravely resist the Russian invasion.

Carlos Barria - Reuters