In Pictures

In Pictures: Four years of Ukraine war

UN says more than 15,000 civilians and 763 children have died, highlighting the immense human cost of the ongoing conflict.

A woman navigates a debris-filled street where destroyed Russian military vehicles stand. — A woman navigates a debris-filled street where destroyed Russian military vehicles stand in Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 3, 2022 [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]

By AP

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago initiated Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, causing profound civilian suffering, devastating military losses, and a fundamental shift in post-Cold War security dynamics.

The conflict entered its fifth year on Tuesday, with no resolution in sight.

Military casualties have reached staggering levels. A recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that Russia has had approximately 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 soldier deaths between February 2022 and December 2025 – the highest number of military deaths for any major power in a single conflict since World War II.

Russia has not reported battlefield deaths since January 2023, when it confirmed losing more than 80 soldiers in a Ukrainian attack, bringing Moscow’s officially acknowledged military deaths to slightly above 6,000.

For Ukraine, CSIS estimates military casualties between 500,000 and 600,000, including up to 140,000 deaths. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died, with many more listed as missing. Neither side releases reliable or timely casualty figures, and independent verification remains unattainable.

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission has confirmed more than 15,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the invasion began, noting this is likely an underestimate. In excess of 40,600 civilians have been injured during this period.

At least 763 children have died in the conflict, according to UN data.

The year 2025 was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since 2022, with 2,514 deaths and 12,142 injuries – a 31 percent increase in civilian casualties compared with 2024.

Approximately 5.3 million Ukrainians have sought refuge in Europe, while another 3.7 million remain internally displaced within Ukraine. The country’s pre-war population exceeded 40 million.

The physical destruction is catastrophic. Cities such as Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Vovchansk have been reduced to rubble. The World Health Organization has documented more than 2,800 attacks on healthcare facilities since 2022, while Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have left millions without heat and power.

About one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated with mines or unexploded ordnance. According to the World Bank, the reconstruction costs for Ukraine are projected to reach $588bn over the next decade.

A pregnant woman who was severely wounded during Russian shelling is evacuated from a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine — A pregnant woman who was severely wounded during Russian shelling is evacuated from a maternity hospital in Mariupol. The woman did not survive, March 9, 2022. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee by crossing the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv, March 5, 2022. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]

A man recovers items from a shop that caught fire in a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine — A man recovers items from a shop that caught fire in a Russian attack in Kharkiv, March 25, 2022. [Felipe Dana/AP Photo]

Bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine — Bodies are placed in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, March 9, 2022. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

A Ukrainian police officer takes cover in front of a burning building that was hit in a Russian airstrike in Avdiivka, Ukraine — A Ukrainian police officer takes cover in front of a burning building that was hit in a Russian air strike in Avdiivka, March 17, 2023. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

A Ukrainian MSLR BM-21 "Grad" rocket launcher of the 95 Air Assault brigade fires toward Russian positions on the front line near Kreminna, Ukraine — A Ukrainian MSLR BM-21 "Grad" rocket launcher of the 95 Air Assault brigade fires toward Russian positions on the front line near Kreminna, March 9, 2023. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

A woman cries during the funeral ceremony of Ihor Kusochek, a Ukrainian soldier of the Azov brigade in Bobrovytsia, Chernihiv region, October 4, 2024. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

A Ukrainian serviceman shouts to paramedics in front of the bodies of people killed after a Russian rocket attack on the food market in the city centrer of Kostiantynivka, Ukraine — A Ukrainian serviceman shouts to paramedics in front of the bodies of people killed after a Russian rocket attack on the food market in the city centre of Kostiantynivka, September 6, 2023. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

Multiple wounds can be seen on the face of Kostiantyn Bychek during a hospital visit in Kyiv. He was injured in a Russian attack, April 25, 2025. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

Ukrainian military doctors treat an injured comrade who was evacuated from the battlefield in a hospital in the Donetsk region. The serviceman did not survive, January 9, 2023. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

A man plants sunflowers in his garden between a damaged Russian tank and its turret in the village of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv region, May 17, 2023. [Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo]

Rescue workers carry an injured woman on a stretcher out of a house destroyed by a Russian airstrike in a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv — Rescue workers carry an injured woman on a stretcher out of a house destroyed by a Russian air strike in a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, April 24, 2025. [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

Snow covers the photograph of a fallen Ukrainian serviceman in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine — Snow covers the photograph of a fallen Ukrainian serviceman in downtown Kyiv, March 12, 2024. [Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo]

Ukrainian servicemen walk through a charred forest along the front line, a few kilometers from Andriivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine — Ukrainian servicemen walk through a charred forest along the front line, a few kilometers (miles) from Andriivka, Donetsk region, September 16, 2023. [Mstyslav Chernov/AP Photo]