A local woman works in the garden of her destroyed house in Andriivka, a village 40 kilometers west of Kyiv, on April 6, 2022. The village had suffered from heavy artillery shelling by Russian forces. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Kyiv Oblast was among the first regions hit by Russia's full-scale invasion. Starting from late February, towns and villages near the Ukrainian capital had been suffering from the Russian shelling and bombing, as well as atrocities of the Russian troops, including rape and summary executions.
The Russian troops withdrew from the region on April 1. Immediately, the extent of destruction and human suffering brought by the occupying forces was revealed. According to the Interior Ministry, 720 bodies of killed civilians have been found in the Kyiv Oblast alone, and over 200 people are missing.
Now, once peaceful villages around Kyiv lay destroyed, the lives of their residents ruined.
Dmytrivka
Dmytrivka is a village of 2,000 people located just 10 kilometers west of Kyiv's borders, and south of Irpin, a satellite city of Kyiv. Dmytrivka experienced heavy fighting. The village had been under the Russian occupation for nearly three weeks. Russian troops were forced out of the village after a Ukrainian offensive on March 31.
A Ukrainian serviceman shows a destroyed Russian tank not far from Kyiv on April 3, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Ukrainian serviceman walk past the destroyed Russian tank in Dmytrivka, 10 kilometers west of Kyiv, on April 3, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The body of a Russian soldier lies near the destroyed Russian tank in Dmytrivka, a village 10 10 kilometers west of Kyiv, on April 3, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The burned body of a Russian soldier inside a Russian APC in Dmytrivka village near Kyiv on April 3, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
A woman stands in front of a destroyed Russian tank in Dmytrivka, a village near Kyiv on April 3, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Stoyanka
The village of Stoyanka is right next to Kyiv's western border, close to Irpin and Dmytrivka. Home to over 500 people, and sitting on the Irpin River, the village was a favored site for middle and high-income Kyiv residents.
Russian troops shelled and bombed the village for days, then rolled in the tanks. To halt Russian advances on the capital, Ukrainian troops destroyed the bridge connecting Stoyanka with Kyiv, cutting once prosperous settlement from Ukrainian-controlled territory for weeks.
A car with the word “children” on the front window photographed on March 31, 2022 in Stoyanka, after being completely destroyed by the Russian troops. (Getty Images)
Ukrainian serviceman walks past the destroyed gas station in Stoyanka, on March 31. (Getty Images)
Two civilians killed in Stoyanka photographed on March 31, 2022. (Getty Images)
A fragment of the yard of a resident of Stoyanka whose house was ruined, photographed on March 31, 2022. (Getty Images)
A woman shows a damaged apple tree in her garden in Stoyanka on March 31, 2022. (Getty Images)
Andriivka
The village of Andriivka, home to over 1,000 people and located 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, was under Russian occupation for 34 days. The village had suffered from fighting, with many houses getting damaged or ruined. Local citizens say that the Russians stationed in the village were robbing the houses en masse, stealing flat-screen TVs and valuable home appliances.
A local villager welcomes Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces’ members after they have recovered from the Russian army the Nova Basan village on the eastern of Kyiv, Ukraine on April 01, 2022. (Getty Images)
Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces’ members walk around after they have recovered from the Russian army the Nova Basan village on the eastern of Kyiv, Ukraine on April 01, 2022. (Getty Images)
(Image depicts death) A dead body of Russian soldier is seen after Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces’ members have recovered from the Russian army the Nova Basan village on the eastern of Kyiv, Ukraine on April 01, 2022. (Getty Images)
Elder women weep as they meet with Territorial Defence Forces’ members after they have recovered from the Russian army the Nova Basan village on the eastern of Kyiv, Ukraine on April 01, 2022. (Getty Images)
Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces’ members walk around after they have recovered from the Russian army the Nova Basan village on the eastern of Kyiv, Ukraine on April 01, 2022. (Getty Images)
Buzova
Buzova, a village with a pre-war population of 1,500 people, was completely destroyed by Russian shelling, and later occupied. The U.K. Defense Ministry reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that a mass grave with the bodies of killed civilians was uncovered near Buzova after Russian troops had been driven out of the region.
Residents look at a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Buzova village, west of Kyiv, on April 10, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)
A man walks past a destroyed high-rise building in Buzova village in Kyiv Oblast, on April 5, 2022. (Getty Images)
GRAPHIC: Ukrainian men wrap the body of their relative, discovered in a manhole at a petrol station on the outskirts of Buzova, on April 10, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)
A Ukrainian mother reacts after the body of her son was discovered in a manhole at a petrol station on the outskirts of Buzova, on April 10, 2022. Several bodies were discovered in the manhole. (AFP/Getty Images)
A damaged school in Buzova on April 5, 2022. (Getty Images)
Demydiv
Demydiv lies 10 kilometers north of Kyiv and was home to over 3,500 people before Russia launched the invasion. The village is now partly flooded due to the nearby Kyiv Reservoir being damaged by fighting.
Civilians cross the destroyed bridge over the Irpin River and walk the long road to Demydiv and adjacent villages. After the withdrawal of Russian troops from villages in Kyiv Oblast, civilians began returning home. (Getty Images)
A bomb crater and destroyed Russian military vehicles seen in Demydiv, near Kyiv, on April 4, 2022. (Getty Images)
People repair the destroyed bridge over the Irpin River in Demydiv. (Getty Images)
Residents of Demydiv, on April 6, assess the damage done to their neighbor’s house. (Getty Images)
A dog photographed running near a destroyed Russian military vehicle in Demydiv, on April 4, 2022. (Getty Images)
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized Hungary on April 14 for being the only EU member state lacking "moral clarity" on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
"What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side," the European Union’s top diplomat said on April 14.
According to a copy of the bill seen by the news agency, the legislation lays out significant financial and diplomatic measures to counter Russia’s aggression.
Following the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, the European Union has restricted energy imports from Russia, profits from which fuelled Moscow's ability to wage the war against Ukraine.
The U.K. transferred 752 million pounds ($990 million) to Ukraine under a G7 loan covered by Russian assets to buy air defense and artillery, the British government announced.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov's statement comes as Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting, suggested on April 13 that long-range Taurus missiles could be used to target strategic Russian military infrastructure.
With the incredible support of our readers and community, we raised $24,500 for Veteran Hub through the sale of over 1,000 of our “I Stand With Ukraine” T-shirts.
During an EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also called on allies to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses and provide additional systems, missiles, and spare parts.
Ukraine has invited top European Union officials to visit Kyiv on May 9 in a symbolic move to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, Politico reported on April 14, citing Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent talks with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were "extremely useful," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 14, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the end of the Eastern Bloc eliminated the threat NATO was originally created to counter, yet the alliance not only persisted but also allegedly claimed a dominant role in European security.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had made the offer directly to U.S. President Donald Trump and previously raised it with former President Joe Biden's administration.
In the first quarter of 2025, developers launched just 8.1 million square meters (around 87.19 million square feet) of new housing projects — down 24% from the same period last year.
"Ukraine unconditionally agreed to a ceasefire over a month ago. The heinous attacks on Kryvyi Rih and Sumy are Russia's mocking answer," Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
"Those behind this attack will not escape justice. Responsibility is also shared by everyone working for Kremlin's criminal regime, including Russian diplomats," Lithuania's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The suspect, an instructor at the Yavoriv training ground near the Polish border, had reportedly been tasked with planning terrorist attacks against commanders of Ukraine's Armed Forces stationed at the training center.
"I'm happy to see we already have two-thirds of my ammunition initiative together," Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, referring to an initiative to provide Ukraine with 2 million high-caliber rounds worth 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion).
