Ukraine war in pictures: Scenes of devastating war in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion rages on

Scenes of loss and mourning sweep the internet as Russian’s invasion of Ukraine passes the two week mark

Firefighters spray water on a destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro on Friday (AFP via Getty Images)

Images of devastation continue to emerge from Ukraine, as as Russia widens its invasion and targets new cities

The cities Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivisk and Dnipro were struck for the first time since the war began on 24 February, which has so far claimed the lives of 564 civilians, including 41 children, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday.

More carnage was seen this week when a maternity ward and children’s hospital in Mariupol was shelled on March 9.

Ukrainian authorities also claimed that Russia bombed a psychiatric hospital in Kharviv.

Family members accompany disabled children in a special train heading for Gdansk, near the border crossing in Medyka, Poland (AP)

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital, damaged by shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine (AP)

A medical worker walks inside of the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol (AP)

A destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro (AFP via Getty Images)

Russian troops have encircled the port city of Mariupol and cut off essential supplies, with more than 1,000 people killed by “continuous shelling” and 47 buried in a mass grave on Wednesday alone, Ukraine says.

Ukrainian officials say that not a single civilian was able to leave the encircled Mariupol on Thursday as Russian forces failed to respect a temporary ceasefire to allow evacuations.

President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Russia as a “terrorist state” in his latest TV address to his embattled nation.

“This is outright terror...from experienced terrorists,” he said.

“The world needs to know this. I have to admit it - we are all dealing with a terrorist state.”

A building damaged by shelling in Mariupol (AP)

A man walks with a bicycle in a street damaged by shelling in Mariupol, on Thursday. (AP P)

The UN has announced there are now 2.5 million refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, but this figure could increase to 4 million within days if the war continues, according to Western officials.

Neighbouring Poland has welcomed the largest number of Ukrainians into its borders, with more than 1.5 million refugees arriving to the country according to the UN Refugee Agency.

For those who remain behind, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said every street and every house is being fortified.

“Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands,” the mayor said.

A resident cries as she evacuates the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv (AFP via Getty Images)

A man holds his dog as he walks below a destroyed bridge as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in Irpin (REUTERS)

Passengers depart the railway station after disembarking trains from the east (Getty Images)

Women and children who have fled war-town Ukraine walk to board a train to transport them to Przemysl main train station after crossing the Polish Ukrainian border (Getty Images)

Follow the latest coverage of Russia-Ukraine news here.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.