“It was always clear that it could happen, but when it does happen, you still take your breath away”: With these words, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the situation star her feelings when her phone rang at 4:59 a.m. on February 24, 2022 and her office manager reported what had just happened: Russian President Vladimir Putin had attacked Ukraine with his armed forces and unleashed a war in the middle of Europe like it had been there since 1945 had given no more.
The invasion started with air and missile attacks. At 4:51 a.m., the first explosions were reported in Kiev. Putin mockingly and historically distorted the attack as a “special military operation” to “denazify” Ukraine and to protect the Russian-speaking residents there – and he still does so today.
Thousands of civilians dead, cities bombed
It’s been exactly a year since Russia blew up the European peace order with its tanks and rockets. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) count, 8,006 civilians have been killed and 13,287 injured since the start of the Russian invasion through February 15. Of the victims, 6993 were men, 4457 women, 650 boys and 490 girls. The sex of 8402 adults and 301 children is unknown. However, the commissioner assumes that the actual numbers are significantly higher because it only counts cases that have been confirmed by independent experts.
According to the OHCHR, most of the recorded civilian casualties were caused by high-impact explosive weapons, including heavy artillery fire, multiple-missile systems, missiles and airstrikes. The use of these weapons also caused devastating damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure. Nobody knows exactly how many schools and kindergartens have been reduced to rubble since February 24, 2022, how many hospitals and retirement homes, how many factories and companies – and how many dreams.
But the suffering that Putin brought to the people of Ukraine with his attack on the neighbor cannot be expressed in numbers anyway. Not even words can truly convey what the everyday presence of death, destruction and fear entails for those who must witness it. But pictures say more than 1000 words, they say. And maybe the pictures in this series of photos can give you a little insight into what a year of war in the Ukraine means for those affected.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
