Ukraine war in photos: March 18

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top aides continue to insist they are not targeting civilians in Ukraine. They also say it isn’t a war. One way to respond to such claims is to let photographs speak for themselves.

Also seen here: children evacuated from Mariupol receive urgent care; in the capital, Kyiv, civilians take shelter underground; and above ground, Russian strikes damaged more residential buildings and schools.

In Odessa, a child plays as the city girds for a Russian assault; and 400 miles to the northwest, in Lviv, 109 empty strollers were lined up outside the city council in memory of the 109 children known to have perished in the war to date.