Before and after photos of 5 Ukrainian cities show the scale of destruction Russian forces have wreaked since they invaded the country

Although Kharkiv has experienced periods of sporadic pro-Russian unrest since March 2014, there had been minimal damage to city infrastructure before the war.

The photo above shows Sumskaya street in Kharkiv on a bustling night, with its classical buildings intact and stores open for business.

At least 500 people have been killed in Kharkiv since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, according to the regional emergency service, reported Al Jazeera. More than 600 buildings have been destroyed, said Mayor Ihor Terekhov in a televised interview on March 15.

The city has been under constant shelling, with experts saying troops are deliberately targeting residential buildings.

"I have never seen Kharkiv so empty, silent, and dark. After days of bombardment, the historical city centre looks like a scene from WWII," said Maria Avdeeva, a Kharkiv resident and research director at the European Expert Association.

The city is located near the Irpin river. Apart from its railway station, Irpin is known for its nature parks and historical monuments.

Air strikes have damaged many of Irpin's residential buildings, roads, and bridges.

A key bridge in the city was destroyed (pictured above), so residents were forced to walk around the structure in a single-file, with some holding white flags, reported The Washington Post.

Those who decided not to leave, many of whom belonged to Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces, stayed in underground shelters and ditches.

The city is known for its Baroque-style cathedrals and monasteries.

Chernihiv is said to have been one of the most important cities in the historical federation of Kyivan Rus, which spanned from the ninth to mid-13th centuries. Putin used the federation to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The city was bombarded by Russian forces, with many strikes hitting residential areas.

Cultural sites like museums were also destroyed. A video dated March 3 shows shelling in a residential area where a school and children's hospital was located. Another clip that circulated on Telegram and Twitter on March 16 shows at least 10 Chernihiv residents, who were lining up for bread, killed by Russian forces.

"Today, Russian forces shot and killed 10 people standing in line for bread in Chernihiv," The US Embassy in Kyiv said in a Twitter post on March 16.

"Such horrific attacks must stop. We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any atrocity crimes in Ukraine," the embassy added.

Residents have said Sviatoshynskyi district is a tightknit community with a garden, stores, and cafes. The district also has a handful of schools and metro stations.

It was one of at least three suspected Russian air strikes on residential areas in the capital since March 14, reported The Post.

At least 27 residents were rescued by firefighters from the 16-story building, according to a Facebook post by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine, has over 430,000 residents. The city was involved in the eight-year-long conflict in Donbas and had at various times since 2014 been at times attacked by pro-Russian separatists.

Mariupol was declared the capital of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in February 2014 but came back under Ukrainian control four months later, according to the BBC.

On March 9, Russia bombed a children's hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol. The city was hit with a series of blasts that shook the ground more than a mile away, according to Al Jazeera.

The wounded pregnant woman photographed by the Associated Press (pictured above) died from her injuries. Her unborn baby also died, the wire agency reported.

Dead bodies have been piled up in mass graves in the city, reported the AP.

As of March 15, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 691 confirmed deaths and 1,143 wounded, but officials have said the death toll is likely much higher.