AP PHOTOS: Destruction, death in Ukraine under bombardment

Russia Ukraine War Day In Photos (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Russia's escalating attacks on populated urban areas of Ukraine left rubble and wreckage in streets and plazas as the invasion claimed new victims across the country. The central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city was hit with what was believed to be a missile, leaving the massive area piled high with debris.

Hospitals raced to treat victims of the bombardment even as mothers and children sheltered in their basements. While the fighting in Ukraine raged, the death toll remained unclear.

At the border, anguished families said goodbye as women and children fled while many men returned to fight. More than 675,000 people have escaped to neighboring countries since the Russian invasion began — a number that will only grow, according to the U.N. refugee agency.