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Sipa US / Alamy Stock Photo
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72 hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Thursday 24 February 2022 marks the day that Russia launched a full invasion of Ukraine.

Conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in 2014 when fighting broke out around the status of Crimea and parts of Donbas. Confrontations continued in the region between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists.

But 2022 marks the year that conflict escalated as Europe, and indeed the world, reeled in horror; the year that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European stability hasn’t been shaken like this since WWII.

These pictures, from the first three days of conflict in 2022, showcase the devastating effects war has on ordinary citizens, including many Russians who have family and friends in Ukraine.

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Justin Yau / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

Helena, a teacher in Chuhuiv, was injured by shards of glass from a falling mirror after an apartment complex had been severely damaged by Russian bombardment.

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Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo

Queues build up on roads leading out of Kyiv as citizens flee the country in the wake of Russia's invasion.

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Justin Yau / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

A Ukrainian service member from the 503rd Naval Infantry battalion is taking a breather as they occupy defensive positions in the North of the Donetsk Oblast.

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Mykhailo Palinchak / Alamy Stock Photo

A Russian rocket attack in Kyiv took out five floors when it struck this residential building.

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Justin Yau / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

Residents of Chuhuiv stand by an apartment that had been severely damaged by military action.

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Oleksandr Khomenko / UPI / Alamy Stock Photo

Ukrainians take shelter in the Kyiv train station following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Justin Yau / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

Ukrainian police and first responders carry an injured resident to a waiting ambulance from an apartment that had been severely damaged by a Russian bombardment in Chuhuiv, near Kharkiv.

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Attila Husejnow / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

A woman is anxiously waiting for her relatives to arrive in Przemyśl, Poland from Ukraine.

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ITAR-TASS News Agency / Alamy Stock Photo

A man surveys damage in a residential building in Donetsk after a shelling attack.

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Mykhailo Palinchak / Alamy Stock Photo

A civilian building is damaged following a Russian rocket attack on the city of Kyiv, Ukraine.

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Mykhailo Palinchak / Alamy Stock Photo

Children are playing while others clean up damage at an apartment complex after a rocket attack during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Aleksander Kalka / ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

Thousands of people fleeing war in Ukraine have crossed the border with Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. Volunteers have been distributing food and drink to those crossing the border.

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Aleksandr Kazakov / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

Russian police detain protesters during a rally in Moscow against the invasion of Ukraine.

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Justin Yau / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

People clean up what they can after heavy Russian bombardment.

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Justin Yau / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo

A Ukrainian service member from the 503rd Naval Infantry battalion peels potatoes in preparation for a meal.

Matt Yau

Matt started off as a live music photographer covering up-and-coming bands in Brighton, and since then has become enamoured by the power of pictures. With a penchant for storytelling, he's on a mission to uncover unique images from the Alamy library and tell the story behind them.

Read more from Matt

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