a thousand days war in Ukraine captured in striking images, many horrifying, some touching, others uplifting.

Europe’s biggest armed conflict since World War II has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides since Russia’s all-out invasion of its smaller neighbor on February 24, 2022. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians lost their lives in the conflict. Others lost their families, homes and livelihoods.

The Russian military has repeatedly used missiles, drones and artillery. blow up civilian targets It had devastating consequences throughout Ukraine. The loss of homes and belongings stolen in the blink of an eye is traumatic.

In Ukrainian towns and cities, communities are suddenly and surprisingly faced with unusual circumstances.

Russia’s destruction of Ukraine’s public infrastructure, national power gridincreases the feeling of vulnerability. At night, candles can provide the only light.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were evacuated and migrated abroad.

Those who remained often had to improvise. This sometimes meant digging mass graves, for example the besieged port city of Mariupol Where in 2022 heavy Russian bombing has prevented proper burials and led to despair.

The terrible toll of war is evident in the funerals for soldiers and civilians, including children, and in the suffering of those who attend them.

Associated Press photographers have been documenting the war on the ground for almost three years.

The AP photo of a wounded pregnant woman being carried on a stretcher through devastated Mariupol, only for her and her baby to die a short time later, is one of the most harrowing and heartbreaking images of the war.

AP in 2023 won two Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting He is known for his breaking news photography about the war in Ukraine and was awarded the prestigious public service award for his special dispatches from Mariupol.

Earlier this year, AP video journalist Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” a harrowing first-person account of the early days of the Russian occupation, won the best documentary oscar.

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