NEAR KYIV, Ukraine — By the time Kyiv residents hear the air-raid sirens signaling an imminent Russian attack, Ukraine’s air-defense units are already on the move. From camouflaged positions, they dart out by truck to farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles.
The scramble has become an almost nightly event since Russia resumed regular air attacks on Kyiv on April 28 after a nearly two-month lull. The units have intercepted every drone and missile fired at the capital since then.
Andrew Kravchenko
Members of a Ukrainian air-defense unit demonstrate their work near Kyiv on Monday, May 8, 2023. From camouflaged positions, the units dart out by truck into the farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles. Since Russia resumed regular air attacks on April 28, the units have a perfect score, intercepting every drone and missile shot at the capital. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)
It’s a vast improvement since the opening days of the war, when waves of Russian missiles and aircraft eluded many Ukrainian defenses and inflicted heavy losses on Kyiv’s air force.
With the help of Western weapons and growing experience, Ukraine’s air defenses have made great strides in the past 14 months, saving infrastructure and lives and preventing Russia from achieving air superiority — a critical step as Ukrainians prepare for a counteroffensive.
The bolstered defenses have deterred Russian aircraft from going deep behind the front lines and “greatly shaped the course of the war,” Ian Williams wrote this month in an analysis for the Center For Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS.
Since April 28, Russia has fired a total of 67 missiles and 114 drones at Ukraine, according to Ukrainian air force reports. Only seven missiles and 11 drones got through, and none hit Kyiv.
At the beginning of May, Kyiv units reported they had shot down Russia’s most advanced hypersonic missile, a weapon that was previously considered unstoppable by Ukraine. A newly acquired American-made Patriot battery made it possible.
Andrew Kravchenko
Members of a Ukrainian air-defense unit demonstrate their work near Kyiv on Monday, May 8, 2023. From camouflaged positions, the units dart out by truck into the farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles. Since Russia resumed regular air attacks on April 28, the units have a perfect score, intercepting every drone and missile shot at the capital. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)
Andrew Kravchenko
Members of a Ukrainian air-defense unit demonstrate their work near Kyiv on Monday, May 8, 2023. From camouflaged positions, the units dart out by truck into the farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles. Since Russia resumed regular air attacks on April 28, the units have a perfect score, intercepting every drone and missile shot at the capital. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)
On the first day of the invasion, Russia targeted Ukraine’s ground-based air-defense systems, first with a wave of missiles, then with dozens of bomber sorties supported by electronic warfare measures that essentially blinded Ukrainian radar, wrote Justin Bronk in an April analysis for the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses.
But Ukraine had received intelligence from allies ahead of the Russian attacks, allowing Ukrainian defenders to move mobile units out of harm’s way.
The units were scattered, and for a brief time Russia was able to fly in waves of helicopters, supported by fighter jets, and inflict heavy losses on Ukrainian aircraft sent to intercept them.
But the Russians failed to follow up on their initial attacks, allowing Ukraine to regroup quickly, said Douglas Barrie, a defense aerospace specialist with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Andrew Kravchenko
Members of a Ukrainian air-defense unit demonstrate their work near Kyiv on Monday, May 8, 2023. From camouflaged positions, the units dart out by truck into the farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles. Since Russia resumed regular air attacks on April 28, the units have a perfect score, intercepting every drone and missile shot at the capital. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)
The brigade commander of air defense command “Center” is a colonel who could only be identified by his callsign, “Granite,” in keeping with the Ukrainian military’s policy of protecting soldiers’ identities. He said his brigade was hit on the first day of the war with 20 Russian missiles, which took out barracks and command posts and killed people.
After abandoning fixed positions, they now operate strictly as mobile eams that can quickly spring into action and just as quickly slip away — a tactic commonly referred to as “shoot and scoot.”
After the initial setbacks suffered by Ukraine’s air defenses, enough mobile units were back in operation by the war’s third day that they were able to shoot down multiple planes, prompting Russia to pull back its attack aircraft and depriving it of a key advantage.
But many of the Russian missiles were still getting through.
With the arrival of new Western-made air defense systems in October and November, as well as the growing skill of the Ukrainian batteries, Ukraine reported intercepting some 80% of incoming Russian cruise missiles by December.
Today, Granite said the figure is closer to 90%, and he said the defense systems around Kyiv have taken down 100% of missiles shot at the city since April 28.
Andrew Kravchenko
Members of a Ukrainian air-defense unit demonstrate their work near Kyiv on Monday, May 8, 2023. From camouflaged positions, the units dart out by truck into the farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles. Since Russia resumed regular air attacks on April 28, the units have a perfect score, intercepting every drone and missile shot at the capital. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)
Two key systems used by Ukraine since the start of the war have been the Soviet-era long-range S300 and medium-range Buk systems.
Ukraine has gradually added new systems from Western allies, including IRIS-T batteries from Germany in October and the American and Norwegian-built NASAMS in November.
It has also received European-built SAMP/T systems, and American-built HAWK missiles, and last month added two U.S.-built Patriot batteries.
With so many Russian assaults, some speculate that Moscow’s strategy is to try to deplete Ukraine’s air-defense resources to the point where Russia will again be able to exploit its advantage with fighters and bombers. But there are also signs that Russia is running lower on missiles.
So far Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has successfully pressed allies for more air-defense supplies. The U.S. has announced $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid, including new HAWK systems, drones and air-defense munitions.
Morale seemed high among Granite’s troops as a short-range team clowned around despite being on duty long into the early morning hours as Kyiv’s air defenses took down 35 explosive Iranian-made Shahed drones.
“Beetle,” who took down a Russian helicopter over Kyiv on the first day of the war with a shoulder-launched missile, said the success gave him confidence that he still holds.
“I realized that it’s not over yet, that we can fight,” he said. “So they’re not that scary.”
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File
On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south. He says the "special military operation" is aimed at "demilitarization" and "denazification" of the country to protect ethnic Russians, prevent Kyiv's NATO membership and to keep it in Russia's "sphere of influence." Ukraine and the West say it's an illegal act of aggression against a country with a democratically elected government and a Jewish president whose relatives were killed in the Holocaust.
Russian troops quickly reach Kyiv's outskirts, but their attempts to capture the capital and other cities in the northeast meet stiff resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy records a video outside his headquarters to show he is staying and remains in charge.
About the photo: Traffic jams are seen as people leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File
On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south. He says the "special military operation" is aimed at "demilitarization" and "denazification" of the country to protect ethnic Russians, prevent Kyiv's NATO membership and to keep it in Russia's "sphere of influence." Ukraine and the West say it's an illegal act of aggression against a country with a democratically elected government and a Jewish president whose relatives were killed in the Holocaust.
Russian troops quickly reach Kyiv's outskirts, but their attempts to capture the capital and other cities in the northeast meet stiff resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy records a video outside his headquarters to show he is staying and remains in charge.
About the photo: Traffic jams are seen as people leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
On March 2, Russia claims control of the southern city of Kherson. In the opening days of March, Russian forces also seize the rest of the Kherson region and occupy a large part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest.
The Russian army soon gets stuck near Kyiv, and its convoys — stretching along highways leading to the Ukrainian capital — become easy prey for Ukrainian artillery and drones.
About the photo: Russian's army tanks move down a street on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, Friday, March 11, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
On March 2, Russia claims control of the southern city of Kherson. In the opening days of March, Russian forces also seize the rest of the Kherson region and occupy a large part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest.
The Russian army soon gets stuck near Kyiv, and its convoys — stretching along highways leading to the Ukrainian capital — become easy prey for Ukrainian artillery and drones.
About the photo: Russian's army tanks move down a street on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, Friday, March 11, 2022.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Olexandr Chornyi, File
Moscow announces the withdrawal of forces from Kyiv and other areas March 29, saying it will focus on the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas, where Russia-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces since 2014 following the illegal annexation of Crimea.
About the photo: People with Ukrainian flags walk toward Russian army trucks during a rally against the Russian occupation in Kherson, Ukraine, on March 20, 2022. As Russian forces sought to tighten their hold on Melitopol, hundreds of residents took to the streets to demand the mayor's release.Â
AP Photo/Olexandr Chornyi, File
Moscow announces the withdrawal of forces from Kyiv and other areas March 29, saying it will focus on the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas, where Russia-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces since 2014 following the illegal annexation of Crimea.
About the photo: People with Ukrainian flags walk toward Russian army trucks during a rally against the Russian occupation in Kherson, Ukraine, on March 20, 2022. As Russian forces sought to tighten their hold on Melitopol, hundreds of residents took to the streets to demand the mayor's release.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File
The Russian pullback from Kyiv reveals hundreds of bodies of civilians in mass graves or left in the streets of the town of Bucha, many of them bearing signs of torture in scenes that prompt world leaders to say Russia should be held accountable for possible war crimes.
About the photo: Police work to identify civilians who were killed during the Russian occupation in Bucha, Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, before sending the bodies to the morgue, Wednesday, April 6, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File
The Russian pullback from Kyiv reveals hundreds of bodies of civilians in mass graves or left in the streets of the town of Bucha, many of them bearing signs of torture in scenes that prompt world leaders to say Russia should be held accountable for possible war crimes.
About the photo: Police work to identify civilians who were killed during the Russian occupation in Bucha, Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, before sending the bodies to the morgue, Wednesday, April 6, 2022.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko, File
On April 9, a Russian missile strike on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk kills 52 civilians and wounds over 100.
Intense battles rage for the strategic port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, and Russian air strikes and artillery bombardment reduce much of it to ruins.
About the photo: People board buses during their evacuation, with a Soviet MiG-17 fighter jet monument in the background, in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, April 9, 2022. After the bombing of the train station, residents continued their attempts to leave the city on buses and other transports.Â
AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko, File
On April 9, a Russian missile strike on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk kills 52 civilians and wounds over 100.
Intense battles rage for the strategic port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, and Russian air strikes and artillery bombardment reduce much of it to ruins.
About the photo: People board buses during their evacuation, with a Soviet MiG-17 fighter jet monument in the background, in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, April 9, 2022. After the bombing of the train station, residents continued their attempts to leave the city on buses and other transports.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP file
On April 13, the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, is hit by Ukrainian missiles and sinks the next day, damaging national pride.
About the photo: The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet is seen anchored in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, on Sept. 11, 2008.Â
AP file
On April 13, the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, is hit by Ukrainian missiles and sinks the next day, damaging national pride.
About the photo: The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet is seen anchored in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, on Sept. 11, 2008.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
Dmytro Kozatski/Azov Special Forces Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard Press Office via AP, File
On May 16, Ukrainian defenders of the giant Azovstal steel mill, the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, agree to surrender to Russian forces after a nearly three-month siege. Mariupol's fall cuts Ukraine off from the Azov coast and secures a land corridor from the Russian border to Crimea.
About this photo: In this photo provided by Azov Special Forces Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard Press Office, a Ukrainian soldier stands inside the ruined Azovstal steel plant prior to surrender to the Russian forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, May 16, 2022.Â
Dmytro Kozatski/Azov Special Forces Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard Press Office via AP, File
On May 16, Ukrainian defenders of the giant Azovstal steel mill, the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, agree to surrender to Russian forces after a nearly three-month siege. Mariupol's fall cuts Ukraine off from the Azov coast and secures a land corridor from the Russian border to Crimea.
About this photo: In this photo provided by Azov Special Forces Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard Press Office, a Ukrainian soldier stands inside the ruined Azovstal steel plant prior to surrender to the Russian forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, May 16, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
Johanna Geron, Pool via AP, file
On May 18, Finland and Sweden submit their applications to join NATO in a major blow to Moscow over the expansion of the military alliance.
About the photo: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg displays documents as Sweden and Finland applied for membership in Brussels, Belgium, May 18, 2022.Â
Johanna Geron, Pool via AP, file
On May 18, Finland and Sweden submit their applications to join NATO in a major blow to Moscow over the expansion of the military alliance.
About the photo: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg displays documents as Sweden and Finland applied for membership in Brussels, Belgium, May 18, 2022.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File
More Western weapons flow into Ukraine, including U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
About the photo: Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region June 18, 2022.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File
More Western weapons flow into Ukraine, including U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
About the photo: Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region June 18, 2022.
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
Ukrainian Defence Ministry Press Office via AP, File
On June 30, Russian troops pull back from Snake Island, located off the Black Sea port of Odesa and seized in the opening days of the invasion.
About the photo: In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Office on Thursday, July 7, 2022, Ukrainian soldiers install the state flag on Snake island, in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian Defence Ministry Press Office via AP, File
On June 30, Russian troops pull back from Snake Island, located off the Black Sea port of Odesa and seized in the opening days of the invasion.
About the photo: In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Office on Thursday, July 7, 2022, Ukrainian soldiers install the state flag on Snake island, in the Black Sea.
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the United Nations, agree on a deal to unblock supplies of grain stuck in Ukraine's Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened global food security.
About the photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, sit as Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Defense Minister, and Hulusi Akar, Turkey's Defense Minister, shake hands during a signing ceremony at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, July 22, 2022.
AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the United Nations, agree on a deal to unblock supplies of grain stuck in Ukraine's Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened global food security.
About the photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, sit as Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Defense Minister, and Hulusi Akar, Turkey's Defense Minister, shake hands during a signing ceremony at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, July 22, 2022.
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP file
On July 29, a missile strike hits a prison in the Russia-controlled eastern town of Olenivka where Ukrainian soldiers captured in Mariupol were held, killing at least 53. Ukraine and Russia trade blame for the attack.
About the photo: In this photo taken from video a view of a destroyed barrack at a prison in Olenivka, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces, eastern Ukraine, Friday, July 29, 2022.
AP file
On July 29, a missile strike hits a prison in the Russia-controlled eastern town of Olenivka where Ukrainian soldiers captured in Mariupol were held, killing at least 53. Ukraine and Russia trade blame for the attack.
About the photo: In this photo taken from video a view of a destroyed barrack at a prison in Olenivka, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces, eastern Ukraine, Friday, July 29, 2022.
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
UGC via AP, File
On Aug. 9, powerful explosions strike an air base in Crimea. More blasts hit a power substation and ammunition depots there a week later. signaling the vulnerability of the Moscow-annexed Black Sea peninsula that Russia has used as a major supply hub for the war. Ukraine's top military officer later acknowledges that the attacks on Crimea were launched by Kyiv's forces.
About the photo: Rising smoke can be seen from the beach at Saky after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea, Aug. 9, 2022.Â
UGC via AP, File
On Aug. 9, powerful explosions strike an air base in Crimea. More blasts hit a power substation and ammunition depots there a week later. signaling the vulnerability of the Moscow-annexed Black Sea peninsula that Russia has used as a major supply hub for the war. Ukraine's top military officer later acknowledges that the attacks on Crimea were launched by Kyiv's forces.
About the photo: Rising smoke can be seen from the beach at Saky after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea, Aug. 9, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov, File
On Aug. 20, Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian nationalist ideologist Alexander Dugin, dies in a car bomb explosion outside Moscow that the Russian authorities blame on Ukraine.
About the photo: Philosopher Alexander Dugin speaks during the final farewell ceremony for his daughter Daria Dugina in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov, File
On Aug. 20, Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian nationalist ideologist Alexander Dugin, dies in a car bomb explosion outside Moscow that the Russian authorities blame on Ukraine.
About the photo: Philosopher Alexander Dugin speaks during the final farewell ceremony for his daughter Daria Dugina in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Leo Correa, File
On Sept. 6, the Ukrainian forces launch a surprise counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, quickly forcing Russia to pull back from broad areas held for months.
About the photo: A Ukrainian national guard serviceman stands atop a destroyed Russian tank in an area near the border with Russia, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sept. 19, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Leo Correa, File
On Sept. 6, the Ukrainian forces launch a surprise counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, quickly forcing Russia to pull back from broad areas held for months.
About the photo: A Ukrainian national guard serviceman stands atop a destroyed Russian tank in an area near the border with Russia, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sept. 19, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File
On Sept. 21, Putin orders mobilization of 300,000 reservists, an unpopular move that prompts hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee to neighboring countries to avoid recruitment. At the same time, Russia hastily stages illegal "referendums" in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions on whether to become part of Russia. The votes are widely dismissed as a sham by Ukraine and the West.
About the photo: Riot police block a street during a protest against mobilization in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File
On Sept. 21, Putin orders mobilization of 300,000 reservists, an unpopular move that prompts hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee to neighboring countries to avoid recruitment. At the same time, Russia hastily stages illegal "referendums" in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions on whether to become part of Russia. The votes are widely dismissed as a sham by Ukraine and the West.
About the photo: Riot police block a street during a protest against mobilization in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File
On Sept. 30, Putin signs documents to annex the four regions at a Kremlin ceremony.
About the photo: From left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Denis Pushilin, leader of self-proclaimed of the Donetsk People's Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic pose for a photo during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.Â
Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File
On Sept. 30, Putin signs documents to annex the four regions at a Kremlin ceremony.
About the photo: From left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Denis Pushilin, leader of self-proclaimed of the Donetsk People's Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic pose for a photo during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP file
On Oct. 8, a truck laden with explosives blows up on the bridge linking Crimea to Russia's mainland in an attack that Putin blames on Ukraine. Russia responds with missile strikes on Ukraine's power plants and other key infrastructure.
After the first wave of attacks on Oct. 10, the barrage continues on a regular basis in the months that follow, resulting in blackouts and power rationing across the country.
About the photo: Flame and smoke rise from the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, in Kerch, Crimea, Oct. 8, 2022.
AP file
On Oct. 8, a truck laden with explosives blows up on the bridge linking Crimea to Russia's mainland in an attack that Putin blames on Ukraine. Russia responds with missile strikes on Ukraine's power plants and other key infrastructure.
After the first wave of attacks on Oct. 10, the barrage continues on a regular basis in the months that follow, resulting in blackouts and power rationing across the country.
About the photo: Flame and smoke rise from the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, in Kerch, Crimea, Oct. 8, 2022.
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Leo Correa, File
On Nov. 9, Russia announces a pullback from the city of Kherson under a Ukrainian counteroffensive, abandoning the only regional center Moscow captured, in a humiliating retreat for the Kremlin.
About the photo: Ukrainian servicemen check the trenches dug by Russian soldiers in a retaken area in Kherson region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Leo Correa, File
On Nov. 9, Russia announces a pullback from the city of Kherson under a Ukrainian counteroffensive, abandoning the only regional center Moscow captured, in a humiliating retreat for the Kremlin.
About the photo: Ukrainian servicemen check the trenches dug by Russian soldiers in a retaken area in Kherson region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Libkos, File
On Dec. 5, the Russian military says Ukraine used drones to target two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory. Another strike takes places later in the month, underlining Ukraine's readiness to up the ante and revealing gaps in Russian defenses.
About the photo: Ukrainian soldiers watch a drone feed from an underground command center in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Libkos, File
On Dec. 5, the Russian military says Ukraine used drones to target two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory. Another strike takes places later in the month, underlining Ukraine's readiness to up the ante and revealing gaps in Russian defenses.
About the photo: Ukrainian soldiers watch a drone feed from an underground command center in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022.Â
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File
On Dec. 21, Zelenskyy visits the United States on his first trip abroad since the war began, meeting with President Joe Biden to secure Patriot air defense missile systems and other weapons and addressing Congress.
About the photo: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, react as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presents lawmakers with a Ukrainian flag autographed by front-line troops in Bakhmut, in Ukraine's contested Donetsk province, as he addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.Â
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File
On Dec. 21, Zelenskyy visits the United States on his first trip abroad since the war began, meeting with President Joe Biden to secure Patriot air defense missile systems and other weapons and addressing Congress.
About the photo: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, react as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presents lawmakers with a Ukrainian flag autographed by front-line troops in Bakhmut, in Ukraine's contested Donetsk province, as he addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP file
On Jan. 1, just moments into the New Year, scores of freshly mobilized Russian soldiers are killed by a Ukrainian missile strike on the city of Makiivka. Russia's Defense Ministry says 89 troops were killed, while Ukrainian officials put the death toll in the hundreds.
About the photo: Workers clean rubbles after Ukrainian rocket strike in Makiivka, in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.
AP file
On Jan. 1, just moments into the New Year, scores of freshly mobilized Russian soldiers are killed by a Ukrainian missile strike on the city of Makiivka. Russia's Defense Ministry says 89 troops were killed, while Ukrainian officials put the death toll in the hundreds.
About the photo: Workers clean rubbles after Ukrainian rocket strike in Makiivka, in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.
-
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
After months of ferocious fighting, Russia declares the capture of the salt-mining town of Soledar on Jan. 12, although Kyiv does not acknowledge it until days later. Moscow also presses its offensive to seize the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut.
About the photo: Ukrainian servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.Â
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
After months of ferocious fighting, Russia declares the capture of the salt-mining town of Soledar on Jan. 12, although Kyiv does not acknowledge it until days later. Moscow also presses its offensive to seize the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut.
About the photo: Ukrainian servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.Â
-
From tents to tanks; a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
On Jan. 14, when Russia launches another wave of strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities, a Russian missile hits an apartment building in the city of Dnipro, killing 45.
About the photo: Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.Â
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
On Jan. 14, when Russia launches another wave of strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities, a Russian missile hits an apartment building in the city of Dnipro, killing 45.
About the photo: Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.Â
-
-
Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine amount to war crimes, UN-backed investigation finds
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool
On Feb. 20, U.S. President Joe Biden makes a surprise visit to Kyiv where he meets with the Ukrainian president in a remarkable and defiant display of solidarity.
About the photo: US President Joe Biden, center, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Olena Zelenska, left, spouse of President Zelenskyy, at Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.Â
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool
On Feb. 20, U.S. President Joe Biden makes a surprise visit to Kyiv where he meets with the Ukrainian president in a remarkable and defiant display of solidarity.
About the photo: US President Joe Biden, center, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Olena Zelenska, left, spouse of President Zelenskyy, at Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.Â
