Two years of defiance: Before and after images show how Ukraine has been able to rebuild its war-torn streets even as battle still rages ahead of second anniversary of Russia’s invasion
Almost two years have passed since the roar of Russian tank engines and the screams of fighter jets broke the peace of the Ukrainian streets on that fateful day of February 24, 2022.
They were once lively thoroughfares that bustled with the rhythm of daily life shattered by the brutality of Europe’s first major armed conflict since the end of the Second World War.
Russian forces attacked from three sides, using missiles, airstrikes and ground troops to overwhelm the Ukrainian army and occupy large parts of the country, driving millions from their homes and creating a humanitarian crisis.
As Russian missiles and kamikaze drones stormed cities and towns across the country, brand new apartment buildings were reduced to rubble and quiet village roads were transformed into dystopian hellscapes..
From the capital Kiev and second city Kharkiv, where warning sirens blare and buildings destroyed by incessant shelling lie in ruins, to the small towns of Borodyanka and Bucha, where civilians rot in shallow graves, the following images show the size and horror of war again.
They also demonstrate the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people, who continue to hold on to freedom and dignity despite Moscow’s aggression.
Despite overwhelming odds, the Ukrainian army and volunteers fought back against the invaders, using Western-supplied weapons and ammunition with great success.
But the war is far from over, and aAs the conflict enters its third year, it remains to be seen whether Ukraine can survive and recover from the devastating attack.
Here, in a series of shocking images, MailOnline shows the grim reality of the conflict and how it has irrevocably changed the fabric of Ukrainian society.
General view of the damaged local city hall of Kharkov on March 1, 2022, destroyed due to Russian troop shelling (right) and people walking past the same city hall in Kharkov on February 6, 2024 (left)
Rescue workers stand in front of an apartment building partially destroyed by a rocket attack in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on July 6, 2023 (right) and a photo taken on February 10, 2024, showing the reconstruction of the house that was partially destroyed (left). )
A Ukrainian police officer, leaning over bodies lying on the ground and covered with tarpaulin, killed at least 35 people after a rocket attack on April 8, 2022, at a train station in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, used for civilian evacuations (right) and a man stands next to a food stall at the same location on January 25, 2024 (left)
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffins of Andriy Vertiev and Serhiy Evtushenko, Ukrainian soldiers, killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, on May 25, 2022 (left) and a photo taken on February 8, 2024, showing the graves showing Ukrainian soldiers at the same cemetery (right)
A photo taken on March 13, 2022 showing anti-tank obstacles on a street in Odessa (right) and people walking along the same street in Odessa on February 9, 2024 (left)
Police experts examine a crater after a rocket attack in a village near Lviv, on November 16, 2022 (right) and a man walking on a road at the same spot in Lviv, on February 10, 2024 (left)
The body of an unidentified soldier lies next to a burning Russian armored car during fighting with Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv, on February 27, 2022 (right) and cars driving on the same road on February 8, 2024 (left)
Priests pray with body bags at a mass grave on the grounds surrounding St. Andrew’s Church in Bucha, on April 7, 2022 (right) and a woman clears snow at the site of the same mass grave on February 10, 2024 (left)
People walk past destroyed buildings in the town of Borodianka, northwest of Kiev, on April 4, 2022 (right) and a woman walks on the street in the same location on February 8, 2024 (left)
A resident standing next to a sandbag barricade in Odessa on March 13, 2022 (left) and people walking across the same street on February 9, 2024 (right)
A car driving through a street without lights in Lviv during a power outage, on December 18, 2022 (right) and a car driving through the same street on February 6, 2024 (left)
Evacuees housed in the Les Kurbas Theater in Lviv on February 28, 2022 (left) and spectators watch a play in the theater on February 9, 2024 (right)
People wait for a train to Poland at the train station in Lviv on February 26, 2022 (left) and people walk on the same platform on February 6, 2024 (right)
Freshly dug graves at the cemetery in the village of Hroza, Kharkov region, on October 7, 2023, two days after a Russian attack killed at least 50 people in a shop and cafe in an eastern Ukrainian village (left) and a photo taken on January 23 2024 with the same place in the cemetery (right)
People crossing a destroyed bridge while evacuating the city of Irpin, northwest of Kiev, on March 5, 2022 (left) and a photo taken on February 8, 2024 shows the same destroyed bridge (right)