Ukraine attacked:
Map of sites targeted by Russia’s invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was under attack “from the south, north, east and from the air” after bombs fell on major cities and ground forces invaded regions across the country.
By Jiachuan Wu, JoElla Carman, Erin Einhorn and Monica Hersher
Feb. 25, 2022
When explosions first rang out across Ukraine around 5 a.m. local time on Thursday, residents scrambled for cover and headed for the country’s borders to flee to safety. Moscow had officially launched a series of attacks on the country, which Russian President Vladimir Putin had been foreshadowing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was under attack “from the south, north, east and from the air.” Russian ground forces entered regions across the country, bombs fell on major cities, and cruise and ballistic missiles targeted military control centers in the area of the capital, Kyiv. On the second day of the advance, as the capital was rocked by explosions, residents and leaders braced for the city to be overrun.
By Thursday afternoon, Russian forces had taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant north of Kyiv where a 1986 reactor explosion caused the release of large amounts of radiation into the environment.
The invasion represents what could be the largest security threat to Europe since World War II. Ukrainian officials reported that more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers and Russian soldiers have died, along with at least several civilians. The Ukrainian government warned residents in Obolon, a district north of the capital, not to go outside early Friday.
Use this interactive map to explore the areas affected, with photos and videos. Events are in roughly chronological order.
The initial attack
The regions along Ukraine's borders were among the first to be hit, with military convoys crossing into the country from Russia and Belarus, a Kremlin ally. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, tanks rolled into the regions of Luhansk, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr in the northeastern parts of the country and targeted the region around Kharkiv, a major cultural and industrial center, which, with 1.4 million people, is the second-largest city in Ukraine.
Video screengrab shows military vehicles crossing into Ukraine's Kherson Oblast from Crimea through the Kalanchak border control point on Thursday. (State Border Guard of Ukraine)
Video screengrab shows military vehicles crossing into Ukraine's Kherson Oblast from Crimea through the Kalanchak border control point on Thursday. (State Border Guard of Ukraine)
Into Ukraine
Chonhar – Russian vehicles marked with a “Z” were seen rolling into the rural village of Chonhar from the Russian-occupied Crimea region, according to video released Thursday by Ukraine’s interior ministry. The village, near the edge of Crimea, has become a de facto border checkpoint since Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Army trucks approach the Chonhar checkpoint on the Ukrainian border early on Thursday. (Sergei Malgavko / TASS)
Army trucks approach the Chonhar checkpoint on the Ukrainian border early on Thursday. (Sergei Malgavko / TASS)
Targeting military centers
Kyiv and Kharkiv – Russian cruise or ballistic missiles targeted military control centers in the area of the capital, Kyiv. Helicopters were seen swarming the region as black smoke rose from the blasts. Residents documented smashed windows and damaged property blanketed with debris. The capital is the country's largest population center, with 3 million people, and the heart of the country’s economy.
People stand around a damaged structure caused by a rocket on Thursday in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
People stand around a damaged structure caused by a rocket on Thursday in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
Casualties in a hospital attack
Kramatorsk – A Russian shell hit a hospital, killing four people and injuring 10 others, in Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, Ukraine’s interior ministry said. Six doctors were among the injured. Four million people live in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border.
People rushed to board a Kyiv-bound train on a platform in Kramatorsk, the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on Thursday. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)
People rushed to board a Kyiv-bound train on a platform in Kramatorsk, the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on Thursday. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)
A village captured
Horodyshche and Uman – Russian forces captured the village of Horodyshche, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, driving tanks into the Cherkasy region south of the capital. The historic region is home to 1.2 million people. Among the casualties in the region was a cyclist who was killed by a fiery explosion in Uman, which is a pilgrimage site for Hasidic Jews who come from around the world to visit the grave of an influential rabbi who died in the 19th century.
Another village captured
Milove – The village of Milove in the Luhansk region also fell to Russian forces. The region of 2.1 million people near the eastern border with Russia is one of two Russian-speaking provinces that Russian-backed separatists have partly controlled since 2014. Putin recognized the regions as independent republics in the lead-up to the invasion.
An airport attack
Ivano-Frankivsk – Video captured a fiery explosion at Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport, which serves military and civilian planes in the mountainous region west of Kyiv.
A deadly bombing
Podolsk – At least six people died and seven others were wounded in a bombing near the historic Black Sea port city of Odessa. The southern city, the country’s third largest, is the seat of the region, with a population of 2.4 million. The bombing struck the smaller city of Podolsk.
Tanks roll through
Senkivka – A procession of tanks was seen rolling into Senkivka, a three-way border checkpoint with Belarus and Russia in northern Ukraine, according to a livestream from Ukraine's state border guard Thursday afternoon. The border crossing lies just outside the small village of Senkivka in the sparsely populated state of Chernihiv. The border crossing is a 3½-hour drive from Kyiv, one of the prime targets of Russian troops.
Tanks cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Senkivka. The image was taken from a Ukrainian government live stream on Thursday. (dpsu)
Tanks cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Senkivka. The image was taken from a Ukrainian government live stream on Thursday. (dpsu)
Russians repelled
Shchastia – Government forces killed 50 Russian "occupiers" while repelling a Russian attack on the town of Shchastia in the Luhansk region, according to Ukraine's Joint Forces Command, though this attack was not confirmed by NBC News. Luhansk, home to 2 million, is one of two regions in eastern Ukraine led by Russian-backed separatists.
A residential strike
Chuhuiv – A residential apartment building in Chuhuiv caught fire after it was struck by Russian shelling in an airstrike, the Ukrainian State Emergency Services said. Chuhuiv, a small city in the northeast region of Kharkiv, is just under 30 miles from the country's second-most-populous city.
Firefighters work on a fire on a building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv on Thursday. (Aris Messinis AFP / Getty Images)
Firefighters work on a fire on a building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv on Thursday. (Aris Messinis AFP / Getty Images)
Explosions on the horizon
Dnipro – Residents of Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine that is home to almost 1 million people, watched as plumes of smoke and fire rose from explosions in the distance, according to a video verified by NBC News. Dnipro, which is 185 miles southeast of the capital, is a hub for manufacturing steel and technology.
An explosion in eastern Ukraine, near Dnipro, on Thursday. (Reuters)
An explosion in eastern Ukraine, near Dnipro, on Thursday. (Reuters)
Armed battle
Kharkiv – The Ukrainian military confirmed Thursday afternoon that Russian and Ukrainian troops were engaged in heavy fighting in the northeast Kharkiv and southeast Kherson regions. Together, Kharkiv and Kherson are home to over 3.5 million people.
Ukrainian servicemen stand guard on a road in Kharkiv on Friday. (Maksim Levin / Reuters)
Ukrainian servicemen stand guard on a road in Kharkiv on Friday. (Maksim Levin / Reuters)
Tank procession
Nova Kakhovka – Video showed tanks and armored military vehicles marked with "Z" rolling past traffic in Nova Kakhovka, a city in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine just north of Crimea.
‘Accepted the battle’
Vilcha – Russian forces entered the Kyiv region through a checkpoint at Vilcha, near the northern border with Belarus and less than 100 miles north of the capital. Describing the development, Ukraine's interior ministry wrote: "Border guards together with the Ukrainian military accepted the battle."
A member of the Ukrainian State Border Guard stands watch at the border crossing between Ukraine and Belarus last week in Vilcha, Ukraine. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
A member of the Ukrainian State Border Guard stands watch at the border crossing between Ukraine and Belarus last week in Vilcha, Ukraine. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Airports targeted
Hostomel – Video showed a half-dozen helicopters descending on Antonov International Airport in Hostomel, 40 minutes northwest of the capital, Kyiv. Smoke rose from the direction of the airport, which a speaker in the video claimed the helicopters were bombing.
Toward the capital
Kyiv – On day two of the attack, Russian troops advanced toward the city as some residents fled and others took shelter. Early Friday morning, Ukraine’s government urged civilians to make molotov cocktails to defend against Russia’s ground fight, and it warned those in Obolon, a district in the north side of Kyiv, not to go outside.
A man walks past a building damaged following a rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv on Friday. (Emilio Morenatti / AP)
A man walks past a building damaged following a rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv on Friday. (Emilio Morenatti / AP)
Sources: NBC News reporting, Ukrainian government officials
