The third day of the invasion in the lens of Pavlo Petrov: a Russian missile hits a high-rise building in Solomianka

On February 26, 2022, on the third day of the full-scale invasion, Kyiv was no longer asleep. The Russian army was striking at the capital, trying to break the resistance. The streets were almost empty - people had either left the city or were hiding in shelters. Tension, panic, and fear were in the air.

‍

‍

That morning, a Russian missile hit a residential building at 6a Lobanovsky Avenue in the Solomyansky district. It was one of the first strikes on the capital to hit a high-rise building. The explosion destroyed part of the 17th and 18th floors of the 27-story building, started a fire and damaged 16 apartments. Concrete fragments flew around and smoke rose into the sky. Fortunately, there were no casualties; the residents were quickly evacuated.

‍

‍

Pavlo Petrov, a photographer and head of the press center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv, arrived at the scene with rescuers and recorded the aftermath of the attack. His photographs show the extent of the destruction: destroyed apartments, burnt walls, and debris scattered around. Petrov's documentary photos became one of the first visual evidence of Russia's crimes in Kyiv, traveled around the world and showed that the war had come to every Ukrainian home.

Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers remembers this terrorist attack against civilians and publishes historical photographs, recalling the tragic events and the courage of the Ukrainian people.

‍

‍

“Kyiv was empty": how rescuers and a photographer were the first to arrive at the site of the attack

Pavlo Petrov, a spokesperson for the State Emergency Service, recalls that he and the rescuers were among the first to arrive at Lobanovsky Street: “I remember that day well because Kyiv was empty. I don't know if we can talk about it, but we were rushing down Druzhby Narodiv Avenue at a speed of about 160 km/h. The streets were empty, so we were almost the first to arrive. The police arrived at the scene. Rescuers were just starting to go upstairs to evacuate people. I witnessed how they carried out the first wounded woman. I filmed all the work of the rescuers, although at the same time the air raid was going on. Some rescuers climbed to extinguish the fire, while others worked from the ground. Together with the National Police, we evacuated people who were just standing on the street. Some of them - with children and dogs - took refuge in an underground passage.”

‍

‍

“The world has seen these photos”

Pavlo Petrov notes that despite the horror of the situation, he considers the photos he took to be important: “Of course, I was not happy that the missile had arrived, but I was satisfied with the result of my work. This series of pictures quickly spread around the world - people began to see what was happening in Ukraine, particularly in Kyiv. These photos were published in many publications and gained a huge reach on social media, especially Instagram. If I'm not mistaken, even the official page of the State Emergency Service had record views at the time. I realized that the strikes were happening all over the country, but it was important for me to show that it was happening in the capital. This is the heart of Ukraine, and it is already on fire.”

‍

‍

Destruction and reconstruction

The building was severely damaged after the attack. In the summer of 2022, large-scale reconstruction work began: a new monolithic reinforced concrete frame was erected in place of the destroyed wall, new windows and ceilings were installed, and the roof was restored. One new passenger elevator was installed and the other two were repaired.

‍

‍

The city authorities completed the work before the start of the heating season, and in December 2022, residents began to return to their homes. Some of the apartments received social repairs, while the rest were restored to basic finishes, leaving the decoration to the owners' choice.

This event became one of the first symbols of aggression against civilian Ukrainians. And Pavlo Petrov's photographs forever captured this moment in the visual memory of the war.

‍

‍

Three years later: Kyiv under constant attack

Three years after the attack, Kyiv continues to live under the threat of Russian attacks. In total, since February 24, 2022, the air raid alarm has sounded 1539 times in the capital, and the house at 6a Lobanovskoho Street has become just one of many residential buildings that have suffered from enemy strikes. In total, 1239 residential buildings, 194 educational institutions, 41 healthcare facilities and 17 social facilities were damaged.

These figures were cited by Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who emphasized that Russian missiles and drones continue to attack Kyiv, leaving behind ruins: destroyed infrastructure, shattered lives, and new civilian casualties.

‍

‍

‍

Pavlo Petrov is a photographer at the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Since 2017, he has been covering the work of rescue units. He started his work in Luhansk region, where he worked for three years at the press center of the regional SES. Together with rescuers and pyrotechnics, he went dozens of times to extinguish fires, demine dangerous areas, and destroy ammunition. Since 2020, he has been working in Kyiv and is constantly with rescuers during emergencies. Since February 24, 2022, he has been filming the aftermath of every enemy shelling of the capital. Together with firefighters, he was one of the first to arrive at the scene. In April 2022, he was awarded the badge “For Courage in an Emergency” by the Head of the State Emergency Service. Social networks of the photographer.

‍

We worked on the material:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editorial director: Olga Kovaleva
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar