Ukraine war diary: My girlfriend and I bought a new mattress for our apartment in Kyiv. We used it to cover the window when the shelling began.

Ivan Oleskii in April, working on refitting cars for Car4Ukraine.Ivan Oleksii

• An as-told-to photo diary of life in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022.
• Ivan Oleksii, an esports analyst from Kherson, explained how the war recast his life.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.

In the last 12 months, Ukrainian cities have been reduced to rubble, millions have been displaced and become refugees, and Russia and Ukraine have suffered tens of thousands of casualties in the fighting.

All Ukrainians' lives have been changed in ways they would have struggled to conceive a year ago.

This diary is based on conversations, edited for length and clarity, with Ivan Oleksii, 26, an esports analyst living in Kyiv with his girlfriend when the war started. He now converts civilian trucks into battle vehicles for the Ukrainian army. He spoke to Insider's Bethany Dawson.