Ukraine war in pictures: Powerful images from the front line of Putin’s deadly invasion

Warning: This article contains images that some viewers may find distressing

Harrowing images taken from across Ukraine show the grim reality of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Six days since Russian President ordered troops to march into neighbouring Ukraine the conflict is still ongoing, despite a brief ceasefire which took place on Monday during talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Shelling continued on Tuesday with mass civilian casualties following a huge explosion in Kharkiv.

Emergencies personnel carry the body out of the damaged local city hall of Kharkiv (AFP via Getty Images)

A view shows the area near the regional administration building, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack, in central Kharkiv (REUTERS)

Rescuers are seen in a building, which city officials said was damaged by a missile (via REUTERS)

A missile struck the city’s Freedom Square on Monday morning, just outside the regional administration offices, an attack which was denounced as a “treacherous war crime” by head of the regional administration, Oleh Synehubov.

Kharkiv is located in the east of Ukraine and is the country’s second largest city. It is home to some of the country’s most important industries and includes multiple IT companies and a tank factory.

Newborn twin brothers sleep in a basement used as a bomb shelter at the Okhmadet children's hospital in central Kyiv (AP)

People arrive in an old Lada car after they fled from Ukraine because of the Russian (REUTERS)

Children who fled the conflict from neighboring Ukraine play on the floor of an event hall in a hotel offering shelter in Siret, Romania (AP)

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has condemned bombardments as a war crime and said that Russia is deliberately targeting civilians.

The war, which broke out on 24 February, has already claimed hundreds of lives and injured many more.

Local residents prepare Molotov cocktails (REUTERS)

Thousands of Ukrainians have stayed and taken up arms to help defend their country, with Ukrainian’s from across the world returning to fight.

Meanwhile, more than 660,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the last six days, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.

People sleep in the improvised bomb shelter in a sports centre (AP)

A destroyed Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier vehicle is seen in front of a school which, according to local residents, was on fire after shelling (REUTERS)

This map shows the extent of Russia’s attack on Ukraine (Press Association Images)

Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a briefing in Geneva that there were reports of people waiting for up to 60 hours to enter Poland, while queues at the Romanian border are reported to be up to 20 km long.

The European Union (EU) estimates that up to four million people may try to leave the country and has relaxed its rules on taking refugees and says that member states of the EU will welcome Ukrainian refugees with "open arms.”

People work on a camouflage net for Ukrainian defenders (Future Publishing via Getty Images)

A medical worker attends to wounded man at a hospital in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine (AP)

A Ukrainian woman sleeps on the floor of the railway station in Zahonyi close to the Hungarian Ukrainian border (AFP via Getty Images)

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under increasing pressure on Monday to do more to help those fleeing the conflict, after his government said that only Ukrainians with family in the UK would be allowed to travel there without visas.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has rejected demands to offer a full visa waiver to Ukrainians fleeing war but on Monday night said that expanding the visa scheme was something ministers were “absolutely working on.”