A shell crater is being seen at the site of a Russian missile strike in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 21st, residents of Kyiv were awoken by air raid sirens. Russia had launched a barrage of missiles headed for Ukraine’s capital. Ukrainian air defenses downed dozens of missiles but the impact on the city was still devastating. This was the first major strike on the capital in more than a month days and came just hours after U.S. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited the city to promise U.S. support to Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia.
A firefighter assesses the damage
A firefighter is eliminating the consequences of Russian shelling in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. NO USE RUSSIA. NO USE BELARUS. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A destroyed kiosk
A kiosk is destroyed as a result of a Russian missile strike on the Shevchenkivskyi district in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. NO USE RUSSIA. NO USE BELARUS. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A destroyed coffee kiosk
A kiosk is destroyed as a result of a Russian missile strike on the Shevchenkivskyi district in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. NO USE RUSSIA. NO USE BELARUS. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A damaged residential building
A residential building is being damaged by a Russian missile strike in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. NO USE RUSSIA. NO USE BELARUS. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A shell crater in the street in front of a residential building
A shell crater is being seen at the site of a Russian missile strike in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Burned-out cars in the street
KYIV, UKRAINE – MARCH 21: Burned-out cars stand in the street after a Russian missile attack on March 21, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. In the morning, the Russian army launched ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv. As a result of the attack, 13 people were injured, buildings were damaged and cars were burned in several districts of the city. (Photo by Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Windows blown out of a residential building
A Russian missile strike is affecting the Shevchenkivskyi district in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Utility workers assist with cleanup
Utility workers are eliminating the consequences of a Russian missile strike on the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Streets littered with glass and debris
Aftermath of a Russian missile attack on the Podilskyi district in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A keyboard in debris from a blast
Aftermath of a Russian missile attack on the Podilskyi district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Giant shell crater in the yard of a residential building
KYIV, UKRAINE – MARCH 21: A woman stands on the edge of a shell crater in a yard of residential buildings after Russian missile attack on March 21, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. In the morning, the Russian army launched ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv. As a result of the attack, 13 people were injured, buildings were damaged, and cars were burned in several districts of the city. (Photo by Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Broken glass on the streets
Aftermath of a Russian missile attack on the Podilskyi district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A car with blown-out windows covered in debris
Aftermath of a Russian missile attack on the Podilskyi district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Christine Frapech
is TPM's designer and event planner based in New York.
