Scenes from Ukraine: Refugees, bombed-out buildings and surrogate mothers in hiding

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Canadian photojournalist and videographer Michael Agosti has been documenting the war unfold around him in Ukraine.

He has spent nights camped out in train stations with those fleeing their homes, attended the devastated scenes of Russian air strikes, been allowed into a sanctuary where surrogate mothers were tending to babies, and explored the front lines as this conflict has raged on for more than a month.

Below are some of the sights he has encountered in recent days and weeks.

Seeking safety

The late afternoon sun lights up the face of a man being treated by a paramedic at Przemyśl train station as dozens of Ukrainian refugees wait to board trains deeper into Poland. Since Russia first invaded Ukraine more than a month ago, more than two million refugees have funnelled into neighbouring Poland, with Przemyśl being one of the main transit hubs.

NA-AGOSTI-REFUGEES For a photo essay about Ukrainian refugees.

 Uploaded by: Harvey, Alexandra

At dusk in Medyka, a town on the Ukraine-Poland border, a woman there to offer support looks out at the scene around her. A humanitarian convoy stretches hundreds of meters back with aid workers there to assist refugees arriving at their first point of safety. A quiet and heavy stillness besets the area as families huddle together in front of makeshift fires to keep warm. Nearby, a man sits at a battered piano playing classical music.

NA-AGOSTI-REFUGEES For a photo essay about Ukrainians fleeing war

 Uploaded by: Harvey, Alexandra

An elderly woman rests at Lviv railway station in the mid-morning while waiting with her family to move onward. Outside the railway station, a parking lot serves as a staging area for refugees in transit with tents lining the distance of half a city block, as aid workers buzz about with food and water.

NA-AGOSTI-REFUGEES For a photo essay about Ukrainians fleeing war

 Uploaded by: Harvey, Alexandra

The warmth of the morning sun washes over a mother cradling her child after a cold, dark night spent in the Kyiv railway station. The foot of a second child peeks out from beneath an orange blanket. Families seek refuge on the couches and floor of a ballroom-style foyer in the rail station while they are ordered to keep off the streets of the Ukrainian capital at night, at risk of getting caught up in conflict.

The remains of a shopping mall, March 21

Michael Agosti photos

A Ukrainian soldier stands in front of the rubble of what used to be Retroville shopping centre in Kyiv.

Michael Agosti photos

A Russian airstrike decimated the mall a night earlier, killing at least eight people and leaving dozens injured.

Damage from a Russian bomb, which landed in the centre of a residential apartment block in Kyiv, Ukraine. The blast wave from this strike destroyed an elementary school less than 200 feet away, dozens of apartments, and a grocery store. 1 person was reported killed and over 20 injured. March, 18, 2022. Kyiv, Ukraine. Michael Agosti for Toronto Star

Ukrainian military and security professionals were searching through the debris to gather evidence for their investigation into what had then been one of the biggest attacks on the capital yet.

Bombing fallout in Kyiv, March 18 + March 22.

Damage from a Russian bomb, which landed in the centre of a residential apartment block in Kyiv, Ukraine. The blast wave from this strike destroyed an elementary school less than 200 feet away, dozens of apartments, and a grocery store. 1 person was reported killed and over 20 injured. March, 18, 2022. Kyiv, Ukraine. Michael Agosti for Toronto Star

Damage from a Russian bomb, which landed in the centre of a residential apartment block in Kyiv, Ukraine. The blast wave from this strike destroyed an elementary school less than 200 feet away, dozens of apartments, and a grocery store. One person was reported killed and more than 20 others injured.

A woman and her grandson survey the damage done at the site of a Russian missile attack in Ukraine.

A woman named Natasha and her grandson at the site of a Russian missile attack that destroyed her daughter’s apartment, on March 22.

An elderly woman, still resident in an apartment high rise struck by a Russian missile in Kyiv, Ukraine, describes how her faith will get her through difficult times. March 29, 2022. Kyiv, Ukraine. Michael Agosti for Toronto Star

An elderly woman and resident of an apartment high rise struck by a Russian missile in Kyiv, Ukraine, describes how her faith will get her through difficult times.

Surrogates in a bomb shelter, March 21

Surrogate mothers care for babies in an underground shelter in a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, which is actively under threat of Russian air strikes. The biological parents of these babies are outside of Ukraine, which has left the citizenship and guardianship of these newborns in question. Kyiv, Ukraine. Monday, March 21, 2022. Michael Agosti for Toronto Star
Surrogate mothers care for babies in an underground shelter in a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, which is actively under threat of Russian air strikes. The biological parents of these babies are outside of Ukraine, which has left the citizenship and guardianship of these newborns in question. Kyiv, Ukraine. Monday, March 21, 2022. Michael Agosti for Toronto Star
Surrogate mothers care for babies in an underground shelter in a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, which is actively under threat of Russian air strikes. The biological parents of these babies are outside of Ukraine, which has left the citizenship and guardianship of these newborns in question. Kyiv, Ukraine. Monday, March 21, 2022. Michael Agosti for Toronto Star

Surrogate mothers care for babies in an underground shelter in a residential area of Kyiv, which is actively under threat of Russian air strikes. The biological parents of these babies are outside of Ukraine, which has left the citizenship and guardianship of these newborns in question.

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