Destruction of Ukraine: before and after satellite images

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Apr 25, 2022

Burned and heavily damaged apartment buildings, destroyed shopping centers and grocery stores, burning storage tanks at an airport near kyiv and huge artillery craters in fields are among the images captured by satellite and provided by the American space technology company Maxar.

Below is a series of before and after images taken in southeastern, northern and north-central Ukraine. The before images are taken over a period from 2017 to March 2022.

Swipe left to right on each image to compare. Can’t see the images below? Click here.

The satellite images below show an overview of the cemetery in Manhush, Ukraine, about 20 kilometers west of Mariupol. The before image is dated March 19, 2022 and the after image was taken on April 3, 2022. The graves are lined up in four sections of linear rows (measuring approximately 85 meters per section) and contain over 200 graves.

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This satellite image shows the Mariupol Drama Theater in Mariupol, Ukraine. The before image is dated July 4, 2020; the image after is dated March 14, 2022. Letters on the sidewalk in front and behind the building read ‘children’ in Russian. The building was destroyed by a Russian airstrike a few days later, on March 16. See the image just below the before-after comparison to see the aftermath of the airstrike. Story: Survivors emerge from the rubble of Russia’s Mariupol theater bombing

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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies on March 19, 2022 shows the aftermath of the airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater in Ukraine and the area around it.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies on Saturday, March 19, 2022 shows the aftermath of the airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater in Ukraine and the area around it. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)The satellite images below show the Olympic Sports Training Center in Chernihiv, Ukraine, as it appeared on August 22, 2018, and then during the Russian invasion on March 16, 2022. A large crater is visible on the ground and heavy damage to the installation.

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The satellite image below shows a close view of apartment buildings and fires that caused damage in the area of Zhovtnevyi district in western Mariupol, Ukraine, after the Russian invasion on Saturday March 12 2022. The previous image was taken on June 15, 2019.

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These satellite images show the Epicentr K shopping center in Chernihiv, Ukraine on Monday, February 28, 2022, before it was damaged and Thursday, March 10, 2022 after it was damaged during the Russian invasion.

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This multi-spectral satellite image shows field artillery craters and damaged buildings in Zhovtnevyi district, western Mariupol, Ukraine, during the Russian invasion on Saturday, March 12, 2022. The image taken before the attack dates from June 15, 2019.

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This multi-spectral satellite image shows burning buildings and fuel storage tanks at Antonov Airport, during the Russian invasion, in Hostomel, Ukraine, Friday, March 11, 2022. The image taken before the attack dates from May 4, 2017.

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This satellite image shows grocery stores and malls wiped out during the Russian invasion in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The image taken before the attack is from June 15, 2019.

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These satellite images show the Portcity shopping mall and other stores in Mariupol, Ukraine on June 15, 2019 and after the Russian invasion on Wednesday March 9, 2022.

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