As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, citizens caught in the crossfire are grabbing their suitcases — and their pets — as they seek safety in bomb shelters or neighboring countries.
Caman Denysenko tries to calm his spooked cat as he joins hundreds of people seeking shelter underground in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Minutes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation on Thursday morning, The New York Times reported, explosions were visible in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
In Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, the airstrikes started before dawn on Thursday. Across the city of 3 million people, the sound of explosions, gunfire, and sirens was heard, Reuters reported.
A woman with a suitcase and an enclosed cat carrier in Kyiv.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a defiant video on Friday, purportedly from streets of besieged Kyiv, with top government leaders.
"We are all here," he said in a video posted to his Facebook page with the words: "We're in here. We are in Kiev. We defend Ukraine."
A woman holds her dog while talking on the phone after crossing from Ukraine into Romania.
