Since February 24, 2022, Russia has invaded its neighbor Ukraine under the orders of Vladimir Putin. See the first images to come from this besieged European country.
February 24, 2022, Kyiv, Ukraine: A photo provided by the Ukrainian President’s office appears to show an explosion in the capital city of Kyiv early Thursday, February 24. Where: Kyiv, Ukraine When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: ROPI/ZUMA Press/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
Ukrainian citizens living in Istanbul protest Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The demonstrators, holding banners and Ukrainian flags, gathered on Istiklal Street and chanted slogans against Russia and Putin in front of the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. Members of the Turkish non-governmental organization Free Thought and Education Rights Association joined the protest after noon. Together, they gave the message that the occupation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine must be stopped immediately. Where: Istanbul, Turkey When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
A rocket is embedded in a road and shelling by Russian troops of a residential area Where: Kharkiv, Ukraine When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: DDP/INSTARimages/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE USA** 
A rocket is embedded in a road and shelling by Russian troops of a residential area Where: Kharkiv, Ukraine When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: DDP/INSTARimages/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE USA** 
A rocket is embedded in a road and shelling by Russian troops of a residential area Where: Kharkiv, Ukraine When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: DDP/INSTARimages/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE USA** 
People take shelter in the basement of a residential tower block on the second day of the Russian invasion, Kyiv, capital of Ukraine. Where: Kyiv, Ukraine When: 25 Feb 2022 Credit: Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
People queue at an ATM during conflict Where: Kharkiv, Ukraine When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: DDP/INSTARimages/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE USA** 
Cars are queued up at a petrol station, Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine Where: Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
United States President Joe Biden Convenes a Meeting of the National Security Council in the White House Situation Room in Washington, DC to discuss Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Pictured, from left to right, US Army General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III; US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; US Vice President Kamala Harris; US President Joe Biden; US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines. Featuring: President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Mark Milley, Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Ron Klain, Janet Yellen, Avril Haynes Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: Adam Schultz/White House/CNP/INSTARimages/Cover Images 
The sun rises over Ukraine’s capital city on the second day of the Russian invasion, Kyiv, capital of Ukraine. Where: Kyiv, Ukraine When: 25 Feb 2022 Credit: Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
People from Ukraine carry baggages as they cross the Polish Belarusian border on February 25, 2022 in Medyka, Poland. Thousands of people fleeing war in Ukraine are crossing the border with Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia as Russian military continue the attack on the capital Kyiv. Mostly women and children wait for hours at congested border crossings in freezing temperatures after Ukraine restricted passage for men between 18 and 60 years old. Where: Medyka, Warsaw, Poland When: 25 Feb 2022 Credit: Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
Ukrainian citizens living in Istanbul protest Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The demonstrators, holding banners and Ukrainian flags, gathered on Istiklal Street and chanted slogans against Russia and Putin in front of the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. Members of the Turkish non-governmental organization Free Thought and Education Rights Association joined the protest after noon. Together, they gave the message that the occupation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine must be stopped immediately. Where: Istanbul, Turkey When: 24 Feb 2022 Credit: Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**