The faces of Putin's war: Bloodied Ukrainians pictured as Russian airstrikes claim first casualties

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
·4-min read
An injured man stands by a vehicle of an Emmergency unit to receive medical assistance after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv on February 24, 2022, as Russian armed forces are trying to invade Ukraine from several directions, using rocket systems and helicopters to attack Ukrainian position in the south, the border guard service said. - Russia's ground forces on Thursday crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine's border guard service said, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a major offensive. Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the frontier in several northern regions, as well as from the Kremlin-annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the agency said. (Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
An injured man stands by a vehicle of an emergency unit to receive medical assistance after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv. (Getty)

These bloodied and bandaged faces show the human cost of Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Putin announced Russia had launched military action during a televised address early in the morning, saying the move was a response to threats from Ukraine.

Moscow hit its neighbour with a wide-ranging attack, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes and shelling.

Explosions could be heard in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, shortly after Putin’s address, while explosions were also reported in the cities of Odesa and Kharkiv.

Oleksii Arestovich, an adviser to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says around 40 people have been killed so far in the Russian attack, adding that several dozen had been wounded.

KHARKIV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 24: (EDITORS NOTE: Image depicts graphic content) A wounded woman is seen as airstrike damages an apartment complex outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A wounded woman is seen as airstrike damages an apartment complex outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Getty)
MARINKA, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 23: Andrii Bolbat, 50, who works at a coal mine in Vuhledar, a city in the Donetsk region, shows two pieces of shrapnel were still lodged in his shoulder and another one in his chest, on a hospital couch in Ukraine on February 23, 2022. People living near the line of contact in eastern Ukraineâs Donbas region are in a constant state of fear as they worry over the safety of their families and close ones. (Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Andrii Bolbat, who works at a coal mine in Vuhledar, a city in the Donetsk region, shows two pieces of shrapnel were still lodged in his shoulder and another one in his chest, on a hospital couch in Ukraine. (Getty)

Russia said it has only targeted Ukrainian air bases and other military assets, not populated areas.

But footage and pictures coming from inside the country show wounded people walking the streets – though it has not been specified whether the casualties included civilians.

Speaking this morning, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Russia has launched war on Ukraine and shattered peace on the European continent.

Watch: Ukraine president calls for global defence assistance

In comments made after Nato agreed to beef up its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia, Stoltenberg said: “Russia has attacked Ukraine. This is a brutal act of war…

“Peace on our continent has been shattered. This is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion. Russia is using force to try to rewrite history.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine has now cut diplomatic ties with Russia after its attack – marking the first severing of ties since Russia and Ukraine became independent countries after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

Zelenskyy said: “We have severed diplomatic relations with Russia. For all those who have not yet lost their conscience in Russia, it is time to go out and protest against the war with Ukraine.”

CHUHUIV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 24: (EDITORS NOTE: Image depicts graphic content) A wounded woman is seen after an airstrike damaged an apartment complex in city of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A wounded woman is seen after an airstrike damaged an apartment complex in city of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Getty)
Emmergency unit staff treat an injured man after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv on February 24, 2022, as Russian armed forces are trying to invade Ukraine from several directions, using rocket systems and helicopters to attack Ukrainian position in the south, the border guard service said. - Russia's ground forces on Thursday crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine's border guard service said, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a major offensive. Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the frontier in several northern regions, as well as from the Kremlin-annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the agency said. (Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Emergency unit staff treat an injured man after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv. (Getty)

Ukraine’s parliament has voted to impose a state of emergency in the country, allowing authorities to impose restrictions on movement, block rallies and ban political parties and organisations “in the interests of national security and public order”.

Putin has said Russia does not have a goal to occupy Ukraine, but the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”.

However, UK prime minister Boris Johnson described Putin as a “dictator” and vowed that Britain “cannot and will not just look away”, pledging to unite with allies to respond with a massive package of sanctions designed to “hobble the Russian economy”.

MARINKA, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 23: Andrii Bolbat, 50, who works at a coal mine in Vuhledar, a city in the Donetsk region, shows two pieces of shrapnel were still lodged in his shoulder and another one in his chest, on a hospital couch in Ukraine on February 23, 2022. People living near the line of contact in eastern Ukraineâs Donbas region are in a constant state of fear as they worry over the safety of their families and close ones. (Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Andrii Bolbat shows two pieces of shrapnel still lodged in his shoulder and another one in his chest, on a hospital couch in Ukraine. (Getty)
CHUHUIV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 24: Ukrainian security forces accompany a wounded man after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukrainian security forces accompany a wounded man after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Getty)

In a televised statement at midday, the prime minister said the world could not stand by and allow the freedom of Ukraine to be “snuffed out”.

“This act of wanton and reckless aggression is an attack not just on Ukraine, it’s an attack on democracy and freedom in eastern Europe and around the world,” Johnson said.

The PM criticised the the Russian president for having “unleashed war in our European continent”, attacking Ukraine “without any provocation and without any credible excuse”.

In a televised address, Putin warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”.

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