Photos we took that illustrate three years of war

As we enter the fourth year, our team recalls vivid memories during this difficult time. We each tried picking a photo that sums up our experiences. Will you share yours too?

Editor’s Note: Three years of pain, loss, struggle and resilience.

We have told this story day after day, but today we want to do more: talk with you.

We are opening a chat for our readers to reminisce together, to share what keeps us going, and to say out loud what may be hard to keep inside. This is a space for open conversation about the war we are all living through.

Set your alarms and join us for a Substack chat today at:
9am Pacific; 12pm Eastern; 5pm in London; and 7pm in Kyiv!

Our chat will start here.

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Ukraine has been fighting Russia for three years, despite the predictions of skeptics, the threats of the dictator Putin, and even Donald Trump's pronouncement that he would solve it in 24 hours.

Ordinary anniversaries are measured in years, but this is measured in pain, loss, and resilience. To mark it, we each chose a photograph that we took during this time period, one that has special meaning for us as we passed the days.

The Counteroffensive team will tell you what we see in each of these pictures – and why they changed us forever.

Share your own photos that fit this description! Go to https://imgbb.com/, upload your photo, and paste the URL in our comments section below.

Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova, 24:

These two photos show how these past few years have been a time of both profound sorrow and the purest happiness.

In the fall of 2021, we were planning our wedding the next summer. I dreamed of a big party, a white dress, and a honeymoon. Somewhere in my heart, I believed that the war would not ruin those plans. I dreamed of spending my honeymoon in liberated Crimea.

But the day never came.

Still, despite delays caused by the war, the wedding took place. And it was one of the happiest days of my life. Not only because we started a family, but also because that day gave hope to those who no longer believed in the future.

But life is also cruel. The picture on the right is a photo of an apartment block after a rocket hit. This is my neighborhood. On February 7, 2024, I might not have woken up. I would not be writing this text if the debris had fallen 50 meters closer.

But on that day, Russian roulette did not choose me.

Mariana Lastovyria, 20:

In the winter of 2021-2022, my world was falling apart. I was trapped in a major depressive episode. Darkness surrounded me, thickening like soot even more when I woke up to my mother’s screams that all the cities were being bombed. It felt like I was too young for this.

I hadn't slept for days and refused to take off my clothes, always staying prepared. Prepared to see a Russian tank in my yard, feel the muzzle pressed to my forehead, or forget what daylight was if I could never leave the basement. But the light did return.

By the second week of the war, on my birthday, a kitten appeared on the doorstep in my father’s arms. I had always dreamed of having a pet, but my parents were against it. The war changed everything, even my parents, who finally decided to adopt a kitten.

It felt like there was nothing left to lose, and suddenly, we could do the things we hadn’t dared to do before. That’s how the ‘antidepressant’ came into our house – that’і what my parents jokingly called my cat, Simba.

Simba opened up my ability to feel again, even when I thought I had lost it. To feel selfless love. And to receive it, when a ball of fur settled on my head or came to cuddle me when I was anxious or sad. Sometimes, he would purr so loudly and bury his face in my neck that I couldn’t even hear the air raids at night.

Anastasiia Kryvoruchenko, 20:

Late May of 2023, about 6am, just after sunrise. My dormmates and I are chatting near the smoking area of our dorm. Behind us are the stairs that lead to the underground shelter. We just got out from there after yet another Russia’s overnight attack. Near me is my now-beloved friend Katia, but back then we were barely familiar. She grabbed the bunny on her way to the shelter, because these attacks got her really scared.

My roommate and I had been rushing to the shelter accompanied by the sounds of explosions just a couple of hours ago, but suddenly as we were in the shelter we were chatting with other people from the dorm, who came to hide as well, and playing card games.

I grew to appreciate those times later, because no matter how scary it got, I had people near me and we could just make it easier for each other with jokes and conversations. The power of unity is important – from volunteering for the army to hiding in the shelter, people should help one another to overcome dark times, because people are all we have got.

This was the May I moved from my quiet village in Ukraine’s central Vinnytsia region to Kyiv. I remember that May really well, it was my first war experience, since my village is in a really quiet region and the only time I heard an explosion was on the actual day of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

But when I came to Kyiv, Russia attacked Kyiv almost every night.

The excitement from moving to my dream city was mixed with shock – air raid alerts are so loud and disturbing, explosions get to the point that windows and doors are shaking, buildings that I had seen just yesterday could get destroyed just overnight.

Alina Tvardovska, 25:

February 28, 2022, 12:57 PM. This photo of my cousin Ruslan was taken in the village of Severynivka, Kyiv region, which was occupied by the Russian army. For three years, I have rarely thought about those days that we spent under occupation. Only with time did the feeling of fear truly reach me.

Ruslan was just a year and a half when he saw explosions and enemy vehicles for the first time. Since then, he has continued to learn more and more military terms. Unfortunately.

The big war has separated us.

Ruslan’s father joined the territorial defense forces in the first days and faced the enemy troops at the entrance to the village. Now, he is fighting on the front lines.

The big war has also brought us together.

We meet more often, have dinners together, play games, and try to find 'positivity' in everything. The biggest lesson of these three years: cherish every moment of life – because tomorrow may never come.

Zoriana Semenovych, 20:

This picture was taken on May 28, 2023 – the Day of Kyiv, the city I have dreamed of living in since childhood. I was standing on a bridge with the best view of the Dnipro River.

I had a smile on my face, even though we didn't sleep at all the night before because the Russians fired a record number of Shached drones across the city. That night felt endless. My friend and I sat on the floor in the corridor and read Ukrainian poems to the sound of the explosions. The air alarm lasted the whole night, but it could not stop me from walking around my favorite city, especially on such a day.

A rocket landed near the bridge on October 10, 2022, but only damaged a few glass panels. I refused to be afraid.

For me, three years of this full-scale invasion feel like a rollercoaster. As soon as you try to calm down and live, the horrific explosions bring you back to reality. Waking up to the sound of explosions and then going to work after the alarm.

It's impossible to get used to it, but the desire to live my youth in the best way possible overcomes all fears.

Yelyzaveta Yefimenko, 20:

On the morning of February 24, 2022, I woke up because my dog was barking very loudly. I woke up angry because I had spent half the night preparing for entrance exams to university. I was already about to scold the dog when I heard someone knocking on our door. As it turned out, it was our neighbor Nadya. My mom opened the door, and the neighbor anxiously said: "We heard explosions, Russia is shooting, gather your things and leave."

The whole day passed very quickly. My family and I decided to stay in Kyiv, at home. We kept monitoring the news. And my English lesson, which I had been preparing for the night before the invasion, still took place online. The English teacher wanted to distract the students from the news. I am very grateful to her for that, as for an hour I was able to shift my focus.

In the evening, we realized that hearing the sounds of explosions was becoming more frightening, and staying at home was dangerous. The next day, my family and I went to my grandmother’s village in the Zhytomyr region further west.

On the day of 24 February, my plans and dreams were destroyed, and the word life took on new meanings.

Tim Mak, 37:

As me and my reporting team continued to evacuate west on the second morning of the full-scale invasion, I saw these dogs and cats sunning together in the early morning. They were to be first dogs and cats of war I ever posted on Twitter.

We soon learned more about the animal-loving nature of many Ukrainians: at one point, I spotted a dog literally sleeping on a pile of dog food that someone had left for it outside.

I like to think that our readers come to The Counteroffensive for the in-depth, unique journalism. But I have a sneaking suspicion that some of you are here only for the pups and felines!

Oleksandr Matvienko, 27:

April 2022. I lived in Zaporizhzhia and was looking for ways to evacuate my then-girlfriend from besieged Mariupol. She was going through hell every day. All my thoughts were concentrated on making plans, finding a driver, connections, and contacts. Meanwhile, the front was moving closer to Zaporizhzhia.

Almost every day, explosions could be heard on the outskirts of the city, and activists throughout the city built road blocks using sandbags and anti-tank hedgehogs. Molotov cocktails lie beside them.

Amidst all these troubling thoughts and uncertainty, a little boy near the shops caught my eye. He was squatting on the asphalt, drawing the Ukrainian flag.

It gives me goosebumps both then and now because, amid all this hell, small children have our beloved country in their minds. Since we have such children, I believe Ukraine will survive these dark times no matter what happens.

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NEWS OF THE DAY:

RUSSIAN CONSULATE IN FRANCE ATTACKED ON ANNIVERSARY: Two Molotov cocktails were dropped on the Russian consulate in Marseille, a port city in the south of France on the 3rd anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

Consul General Stanislav Oransky confirmed the information about the explosions and said that they occurred “inside the building.”

Russia called the attack a “terrorist act” and encouraged the French to increase security at Russian consular offices abroad, as well as investigate. The French authorities have not commented on the motives for the attack or the identities of the attackers.

‘ALL-FOR-ALL’ POW EXCHANGE PROPOSAL FROM ZELENSKYY: A good step toward peace would be an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange, Zelenskyy said at the Support Ukraine24 summit amid growing expectations for talks and pressure from Trump to establish a quick ceasefire, KI reports.

The last exchange took place on February 5, when 150 Ukrainian soldiers were exchanged from Russian captivity.

The Ukrainian side does not disclose specific data on the number of Russian prisoners of war it holds, but according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russia is holding about 16,000 Ukrainian civilians and has forcibly transferred about 19,500 children to Russian and Belarusian territory.

The idea of an “all-for-all” exchange was put forward by Zelenskyy back in 2024, but Russia rejected the proposal.

CDU WON GERMAN ELECTION OVER FAR-RIGHT AFD: The Christian Democratic Union, led by Friedrich Merz, won the German elections and became chancellor, Babel reports. The party received 28.5% of the vote. The turnout in this year's elections reached 84%, a record for Germany since 1990.

The far-right AfD party came in second with 20.8% of the vote, their best result ever.

During the full-scale invasion, Friedrich Merz came to Ukraine several times and met with Zelenskyy. He supports providing humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but not providing German military peacekeepers or security guarantees. The future chancellor is in favor of allowing Ukraine to use Taurus cruise missiles to strike deep into Russia. He also believes that Ukraine has a chance to become an EU member, and that its path to NATO is “irreversible.”

DOG OF WAR:

Today’s Dog of War is this little, but very emotional pug.

Nastia took a picture of it at the shop checkout while he was barking at the whole line of people. Maybe the war’s anniversary is a trigger? :(

Stay safe out there.

Best,

Nastia.