On the ground amid war in Ukraine: A photojournalist's perspective

KYIV, UKRAINE -- MARCH 2, 2022: Anastasia Vakulenko, left, consoles Natalya Chikonova, right, as she breaks down talking about her worries and the war that is raging above ground, while they seek shelter underground in a subway station on the seventh day of the Russian invasion, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)
Anastasia Vakulenko, left, consoles Natalya Chikonova as she begins sobbing while talking about the war is raging above ground as they seek shelter underground in a subway station in Kyiv on March 2. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

War in Ukraine.

It's dominating the news. It's what we are all talking about.

We see the stories, the loss of innocents and the slow, methodical destruction of a county.

Marcus Yam is no stranger to conflict photography. Here's a first-person account from what he is seeing on the ground in Ukraine. Follow on Twitter.

Damage caused by a Russian missile attack on the Kyiv TV tower in Kyiv.
Damage caused by a Russian missile attack on the Kyiv TV tower in Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Andriy Khlyvnyuk, a Ukrainian rockstar who joined the armed forces, is greeted by a fan in Kyiv
Andriy Khlyvnyuk, a Ukrainian rockstar who joined the armed forces to defend his country against the Russian invasion, is greeted by a fan in Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Lena from Kyiv, takes care a child named Max, 3, whom she has only known for a few days
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A Ukrainian soldier walks down railroad tracks after passing the bodies of two Russian soldiers
A Ukrainian soldier walks down railroad tracks after passing the bodies of two Russian soldiers killed in fighting on the outskirts of Irpin, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Elderly couple in the besieged city of Irpin, Ukraine.
Elderly couple in the besieged city of Irpin, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam/Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A man crosses a makeshift bridge built to allow foot traffic over the Irpin River after the main bridge was destroyed
A man crosses a makeshift bridge built to allow foot traffic over the Irpin River after the main bridge was destroyed to stop the advance of Russian tanks outside Irpin, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Volunteers carry rifles across a river under a destroyed bridge to reinforce Ukrainian troops in Irpin, Ukraine
Volunteers carry rifles across a river under a destroyed bridge to reinforce Ukrainian troops in Irpin, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Hundreds of people gather at the Kyiv train station with news of the Russian convoys approaching the city of Kyiv.
Hundreds of people gather at the Kyiv train station with news of the Russian convoys approaching the city of Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Volunteer fighters muster in Kyiv waiting for orders.
Volunteer fighters muster in Kyiv waiting for orders. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A volunteer fighter walks in the trenches ready to defend Kyiv.
A volunteer fighter walks with his rifle in a trench, ready to defend Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Volunteers make Molotov cocktails to use against Russian troops in Kyiv.
Volunteers make Molotov cocktails in an underground bunker to use against Russian troops in Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
The view from a damaged apartment in a residential building following a missile strike in Kyiv.
The view from a damaged apartment in a residential building following a missile strike in Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Kyiv authorities toughened curfew orders leaving the streets empty in the capital, Kyiv.
Kyiv authorities toughened curfew orders leaving the streets empty in the capital, Kyiv. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
People whose water service at home has been disrupted line up to get water at a central pumping station in Schastia, Ukraine
People whose water service at home has been disrupted line up to get water a central pumping station in Schastia, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A woman pushes a baby in a stroller across railroad tracks at the train station in Kozacha Lopan, Ukraine
A woman pushes a baby in a stroller across railroad tracks at the train station in Kozacha Lopan, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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