More than a month into the war in Ukraine, its cities bear the scars of urban warfare.
Over 10 million people have fled their homes — about 4 million (10 per cent of the population) have left the country, while around 6.5 million are internally displaced.
The United Nations, which described the situation as a "living nightmare", has recorded at least 1,189 deaths of civilian men, women and children but acknowledged the number is likely much higher.
Kyiv tour guide Anna Andrusyk said while her home city is the capital and political centre of Ukraine, "we have a lot of different hearts".
Here are some snapshots of the current situation in those cities — and the hope of rebuilding.
Kharkiv: Under heavy bombardment
Ukraine's second largest city is a cultural and education hub of ballet theatres and universities, a city known for its poets.
It's home to the architecturally significant Derzhprom in the city's Freedom Square — dubbed the first Soviet skyscraper — and Kharkiv was the first capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Maria Avdeeva said the city was sometimes called Ukraine's "Silicon Valley", and full of production facilities that she feared would take years to rebuild.
The bustle of international students meant the "city was always very lively and young".
"This is my hometown, but I never wanted to leave," she said.
The security expert has taken to Twitter with daily video updates of the devastation in Kharkiv, gathering what she hopes is evidence of Russian war crimes and dispelling propaganda.
"They try to give the misinformation and ... lies about what is happening. And that's why I decided that it's necessary to stay in Kharkiv — to provide on-the-ground information about the situation," she said.
While she still has crucial connections — internet and electricity — other residential areas have been heavily shelled and are largely deserted.
She visited the site of a large crater where a bomb had fallen in the Russian-speaking city.
"The crater is just enormous, and you realise when you see that, that if someone was there, there was no possibility to survive after such an attack," she said.
"I saw so many heartbreaking stories of my friends, when you have to leave your home with just one small bag.
"Most people were forced to flee, they never wanted to do so."
Among those who have fled is psychotherapist Elena Grishnâeva, who left Kharkiv with her young son in early March. Her daughter remains in Ukraine with her husband and family.
"This war is the second war [in] their lives," she said, explaining she and her children had previously fled Russian shelling in Luhansk in 2014.
"I believe that Kharkiv before the war was the most beautiful, sincere and gentle place for everyone."
She said it had been painful to see what had become of the city.
Leaving was very difficult — they drove three days from the far eastern city to the west, sleeping two nights in the car. They then spent five days driving over mountains, covering some 3,000 kilometres on unfamiliar roads at night, until they reached safety in France.
"I am not only a psychologist, but also a mother."
She has since been providing online consultations to people who remain in Kharkiv and those who have left.
Ms Grishnâeva said many were dealing with emotions of anger and fear.
She added the people of Kharkiv were devoted to their city and were selflessly defending it against Russian invaders.
Kherson: Occupied by Russian troops
Kherson is a strategic port in the south of Ukraine, bordering annexed Crimea — a shipbuilding city that opens onto the Black Sea.
But for Olia Hercules, the region is home — a place of flat steppes, a huge open sky, and rich fields of sunflowers, tomatoes, and famously watermelons.
"Watermelons in Kherson are the best in the world," she said.
"The field itself … it's almost like a post-apocalyptic kind of vision. It looks bare … but then there are these big green balls just scattered all around it."
The London-based Ukrainian chef has watched the conflict unfold from afar.
Kherson has been occupied by Russian troops since March 2.
While it isn't being bombed to the same extent as other cities, she is troubled by reports of fleeing families being shot at and of activists being kidnapped.
It's having an impact on her family still in Kherson.
For three weeks, one of her young cousins barely spoke and went to bed fully clothed.
That only ended once her father, who was stuck in Poland at the time of the invasion, made it home.
Her parents have been coming into the centre of town in Kakhovka with flags, protesting against the occupation in the Kherson region.
"I don't know how my parents are going to fare, but [I'm] seeing every day all of the heroic protests that they're doing in Kherson," she said, adding citizens had reinstated the Ukrainian flag on the municipal building.
Her calls with her mother are becoming shorter.
"I know that she doesn't want me to see her cry," she said.
But she was relieved to hear in recent days her mother had been planting tomato seedlings in her garden.
"It's like a symbol of hope for us, that we'll be able to enjoy them come August," she said.
Amid the "horrific situation", she was heartened by moments of bravery from Kherson; from Ukrainian forces destroying Russian aircraft repeatedly at Chornobayivka airport — to the point where it has become a meme — to the simple and symbolic act of baking bread.
"It's a beautiful ground Ukrainian bread … it's called Palianytsia, which is actually not a very easy word to pronounce for Russians. So it became a national password."
Mariupol: Despair and hope
Many Ukrainian cities fear becoming "the next Mariupol".
The port city in the Azov Sea — a major metallurgical hub — lies between Crimea and Donbas, which is largely under the control of Russian-backed separatists.
Mariupol, about 64 kilometres from the Russian border, has been the site of some of the most devastating images from the war.
There were haunting photographs of the aftermath of a maternity hospital bombing.
The air strike on a drama theatre on March 16 claimed an estimated 300 lives, according to local authorities.
The theatre was a shelter for many and was hit even though satellite images showed the Russian word for "children" was inscribed on the ground next to the building.
Russia denied it had targeted the site.
Tens of thousands of people have fled the city, among them Dmitry Cherepanov, who recalled walking past the theatre just days before it was hit.
Mr Cherepanov, a collector of retro computers, ran a museum in the city not far from his home.
"We lived in complete isolation, without light and communication, without gas and heat, without water," he said.
"We did not live, we survived."
He said they hardly slept at night due to the cold and the constant shelling.
He'd wake up at dawn to light a fire to keep warm and brew coffee, and he learned to listen to the whistle of a projectile and judge where it might fall.
"Truth be told, if it flies to you, you just won't hear it — the closer it falls, the less you hear."
The last time he visited the museum was on March 14.
The next day, he fled with his family for western Ukraine, deciding that staying was more dangerous than leaving.
A few days later, on March 21, he learned the drama theatre was no longer, his house had been hit, and his museum had been destroyed.
"I lost everything I loved, everything that was dear to me in the city where I was born and lived 45 years of my life," he said.
But his family is safe, and he hopes to build a new home and start collecting again.
"Now we are all doing everything we can to ensure that Ukraine wins this brutal and senseless war, and I believe that we will see the dawn and find our home," he said.
Chernihiv: Lost gateway to Kyiv
Chernihiv is a city of many churches.
Its location in north Ukraine, not far from the Russian and Belarusian borders, makes it a key strategic city.
The destruction of a bridge on the road to Kyiv was a blow for people trying to escape, and for aid trying to reach those who remain.
Lada Kovalenko, 42, managed to escape the city with her 15-year-old daughter before the bridge over the Densa river was bombed.
"The situation now is really horrible. It's a humanitarian catastrophe," she said.
They are now in Poland, but Ms Kovalenko's husband is still in Ukraine.
"For him, he had no other choice … he had to protect the country and us."
She described Chernihiv as a "beautiful place" before the invasion, with investment in building fountains and improving roads.
Now, many of the city's buildings are damaged, windows have been shattered, and burnt cars line some streets.
"The person who hasn't seen it can't even imagine it," she said.
"This city was wonderful and beautiful just a month ago, and now our administration says that it will take years to fix all the infrastructure."
She said people now know about Chernihiv — they don't need to be told it's in Ukraine — and her home city has become "a symbol of heroism".
Mykolaiv: Black Sea port at risk
Not far from Kherson, Mykolaiv lies in the south of Ukraine, with long hot summers and short, mild winters.
"Mykolaiv is often called the city of shipbuilders, a city that dreamed of only one thing — to regain the glory of a shipbuilding centre on the Black Sea," said Artem Kutsolabskiy, a poet and journalist.
This week, the state administration building was hit.
"At first I lost my words. My sister works in this building. Before my eyes were pictures of the already destroyed Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv. I thought – maybe it's our turn?"
Fortunately, his sister was not there when it was bombed. Neither was the city's charismatic governor, Vitaliy Kim.
Over the past month, Mykolaiv residents have become used to the sound of sirens and the sights of destruction, and even to seeing dead bodies on TV.
"We learned to doubt when it's quiet and to believe in our armed forces. And in our own strength — more than ever," he said.
"And yet almost every day we have to get used to the idea this is all happening in reality."
He is staying in the city to care for his mother and in case he is called to join the military, but many friends and family have left "with tears in their eyes".
"I don't know how long the war will last. How much more will be destroyed," he said.
"Sometimes I try to imagine what Mykolaiv will look like, when we will rebuild it.
"This imaginary city of the future is my key image right now."
Kyiv: Strikes hit the capital
When talking about her home city, which she recently fled with her two young sons, Anna Andrusyk recalls an old Ukrainian phrase: "My ancient Kyiv, you're always young."
"That's a good combination of the ancient history that we have, but [also the] young generation that is bringing new things in the city," she said.
Kyiv became the capital in 1934, and is home to the nation's parliament and the national bank, making it a key target in the Russian invasion.
"I thought that the fighting would happen only in the eastern territories, and they will put political pressure on Kyiv," she said.
"I didn't think that we would have rockets. My mistake, I wouldn't think that he's so crazy."
A slow-moving column of Russian tanks had been heading toward Kyiv, but the Russian advance has been halted in surrounding towns and villages.
Kyiv was an important medieval city, and one of the centres of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
It has a complicated history; destroyed by Mongols, ruled by Lithuania and Poland and the Russian empire.
Ms Andrusyk's favourite place in Kyiv is St Sophia's Cathedral, a 1,000-year-old monument housing the largest collection of 11th century mosaics and frescoes in the world.
Modern Kyiv is layered with different architectural styles — a lively city with high-tech industries and hipster cafes.
"We had a lot of things to show, and we still do. We have new pages of our history to talk about."
