Ukraine: "Untold suffering has already been unleashed"

We see four individuals looking up at a destroyed apartment block. But what else exists in this scene that we can’t see? What if we were to peer inside those dark rectangular holes that, just a few days ago, were windows?

It’s likely we’d see sofas, TVs and beds, all covered in dust from the explosion. Perhaps we would see food on a dining table, waiting to be eaten. Or toys that were waiting to be played with. Who did these items belong to? And where are those people now?

It’s now day seven of the escalating armed conflict in Ukraine. Civilians have been hurt; some have been killed. Homes have been reduced to rubble.

Our screens have been filled with images of destruction, of families being separated, and of people fleeing their homes. The sound of air-raid sirens wailing over the cities of Ukraine echoes in our ears.

“In the fog of this horrific war, it is very clear that untold suffering has already been unleashed on millions of civilians,” says Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“Hundreds of thousands are forced from their homes, the destruction will take years to rebuild, and for every new day of war it gets much worse.”

Here are some of the most striking images from the conflict so far.

On 24 February, motorways were filled with cars as people attempted to leave Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv.

A couple kiss goodbye before the woman boards a bus out of Kyiv on 24 February.

Even before the recent escalation, almost one million people were displaced within Ukraine after eight years of armed conflict – and many are now being forced to flee for a second time.

A woman walks with two children and an armful of bags after crossing the Slovak-Ukrainian border on 25 February.

On Wednesday 2 March, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that at least 677,000 people had already crossed into neighbouring countries, such as Poland, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania.

In response, the EU announced that they would allow Ukrainians fleeing the conflict to stay in member countries for up to three years. This will be a huge relief for those who have left their homes behind and do not know where to turn.

A building stands damaged by a rocket attack in Kyiv.

Attacks on buildings will have a ripple effect on infrastructure, including possible power cuts, water shortages and a lack of food. NRC is on the ground, reviewing all scenarios and planning how to get aid out to the affected people.

We’re now preparing to provide cash aid and temporary shelter to people forced to flee. We’re also preparing to assist refugees arriving in neighbouring countries.

“The civilian population of Ukraine needs your help now,” says Egeland, who visited eastern Ukraine just three weeks ago. “We have no time to lose.”