What Putin destroyed: Ukrainians share their last photo of normal life before Russia made their country a war zone

Bethany Dawson,Sophia Ankel,Erin Schumaker,John Haltiwanger,Erin Snodgrass,Zahra Tayeb,Yelena DzhanovaMar 20, 2022, 18:15 IST

Photos of life in Ukraine before the war broke outSupplied

Ukrainians sent Insider reporters their last 'normal' photos, taken just before the war broke out.
The images show coffee dates, happy newborns, and beloved pets they left behind.

Images of Ukraine are now of ruined cities, shell-shocked refugees, and burned-out tanks.

For 44 million Ukrainians, this 'new world' quickly erased the lives they had up until February 24, when they awoke to the nightmare of Russia's invasion of their homeland.

Only memories captured in the last photos of babies, plane journeys, beloved pets, and happy selfies remain of what their country, their daily lives, and their dreams once were.

Ukrainians, many now made refugees by Russia's invasion, shared poignant images of their final moments before the war broke out with Insider reporters.

Last supper

A Ukrainian family enjoys a pizza supper before the war broke out.Supplied

A change of perspective

Sofia wrote "nothing really matters" in her calendar after a bad day on February 23. Now she admits she couldn't have been more wrong.Sofia M

The last date

Nikita (right) and Kristina (left) at Kherson airport, the day before it was destroyed.Supplied

War baby

Olesya lives in Kyiv with her baby, born 39 days before the war began.Supplied

An artist who had to abandon her art

Xenija Curly worked as a concert photographer and artist in Kyiv.Xenija Curly

Cafe culture

From Oleksii Rozanov, 28, showing his old life in Dnipro.Oleksii Rozanov

A drink with friends, in a building that is now destroyed

A selfie of Igor with a friend in a mall in Kherson. It has since burned to the ground.Supplied

Last flight to Kyiv

One of the last commercial planes to land in Kyiv, and Maria and her boyfriend had to leave the country a day later.Maria Romanenko

Streetlife

Antonovycha Street in Kyiv.Valentyn Desiatnyk

Planning for war

Kyiv restaurant owner Sorina Seitveliiev took this photo of an article about 'what to do in case of war' published in a local newspaper.Sorina Seitveliiev

Goodbye friend

Terry Bass shared a photo of his dog, Carmela.Terry Bass

25 HR leaders building the world's most innovative, inclusive workplaces amid upheaval in corporate America

Cookies on the Business Insider India website