In Photos: Explosions, Air Strikes & Fleeing Ukrainians as Russia Invades Nation

As Russia invades Ukraine, here is a glimpse of the nation amidst the crisis.

People take shelter at a building basement in the city of Kyiv.

Photo: PTI

Video Producer: Aparna Singh

Video Editor: Prajjwal Kumar

The tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated on Thursday, 24 February, after the former launched a "special military operation" in the European state. People have since been using various means of transport to flee the country that has been witnessing the "biggest attack" since World War II.

Soon after the Russian invasion, explosions, missile attacks, and air strikes were reported from across Ukraine.

As many as 137 people died on the first day of fighting, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, according to AFP. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine had been "left alone" to fight Russia. Here is a glimpse of the Ukraine crisis:

Kyiv: People board a bus as they leave Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kyiv: People wait for buses at Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kyiv: Traffic comes to a standstill as people leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: A car gets damaged in the aftermath of Russian shelling at Mariupol, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kramatorsk: Ukrainian servicemen sit atop an armoured personnel carrier in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Beirut: A Ukrainian woman who lives in Lebanon chants slogans during a protest against Moscow's attack on their country, outside the Russian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday, 24 February.

New York: "Stand With Ukraine" displayed on the wall of the UN headquarters in New York, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kostiantynivka: A Ukrainian policeman walks on a platform as people wait for a Kyiv-bound train at Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: Damaged radar, a vehicle, and equipment seen at a Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: A Ukrainian military track burns at an air defence base in the aftermath of a Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: Ukrainian solders at an air defence base after a Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kyiv: In this handout photo taken from a video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday.

People take part in a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, outside the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kyiv: People at a subway wait for trains as they leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: People line up to withdraw money from an ATM in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Svitlodarsk: A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard at the line of separation between a Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Svitlodarsk of eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday, 23 February.

Berlin: People attend a pro-Ukraine protest rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: Damaged radar arrays and other equipment seen at a Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine, on Thursday, 24 February.

Kramatosrk: A Ukrainian soldier stands next to a military vehicle at Kramatosrk, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, 24 February.

New Delhi: Indian nationals come out of the IGI Airport on their arrival by an Air India flight from Ukraine amid rising Russia-Ukraine tensions.

Golovchino: A satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a part of a military convoy moving south around Golovchino, Russia, on Wednesday, 23 February.

Kyiv: Workers load the debris of a rocket onto a truck in the aftermath of Russian shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Kyiv: Workers prepare to load the debris of a rocket onto a truck in the aftermath of Russian shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Kyiv: Smoke rises near a military building after a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Kyiv: A woman reacts as she waits for a train to leave Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukraine: In this handout photo taken from the video released by Ukrainian Police Department Press Service, military helicopters, apparently Russian, fly over the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine.

Mariupol: Apartment buildings in city of Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, 24 February.

Mariupol: A metallurgical plant is seen on the outskirts of the city of Mariupol, Ukraine.

Kyiv: Svyatoslav, 6, plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Przemysl: People from neighboring Ukraine, rest at a train station hall that was turned into an accommodation center in Przemysl, Poland, on Thursday, 24 February. Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee.

Kyiv: Vladimir, 70, and his wife Tamara, 80, sit in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukrainian firefighters look at fragments of a downed aircraft in Kyiv.

A Ukrainian citizen reacts after her house is destroyed following a rocket attack in the city of Kyiv.

A Ukrainian Army soldier inspects fragments of a downed aircraft in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday. It was unclear what aircraft crashed and what brought it down amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.