Photos Of The Week: February 20-26

Belarus's Dmitri Dashinski practices his routine ahead of the Men's Freestyle Skiing Aerials qualification. - Photo by Adrian Dennis for AFP

U.S. Marines patrol in Trikh Nawar near Marjah in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province. - The U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan is progressing at a slower pace than expected due to Taliban resistance and deadly roadside bombs, U.S. defense chiefs have said.

Photo by Patrick Baz for AFP

Ukrainian President-elect Viktor Yanukovych (right) at a service led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. - Yanukovych attended a religious service before his inauguration at Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra Cathedral in Kyiv on February 25.

Photo by Vladimir Sindeyev for Reuters

An Afghan family sits atop an overladen vehicle in Konduz. - Afghanistan's Konduz Province, unlike many relatively peaceful provinces in the northern region, has seen an upsurge in Taliban attacks in recent months.

Photo by Naqeeb Ahmed for epa

Pakistanis gather around a white horse symbolising Zuljinah, horse of the martyr Imam Hussein. - Shi'ite Muslims took part in the Chup Tazia procession in Karachi, Pakistan, on February 23, in which they end their 68 days of mourning.

Photo by Rehan Khan for epa

A supporter of the Communist Party attends a rally in Moscow. - On February 23, Russia's Communist Party marked Defenders of the Fatherland Day, formerly Red Army Day during the Soviet era.

Photo by Andrei Smirnov for AFP

A U.S. Army soldier receives flowers from an Afghan girl during a patrol in the Arghandab valley in Kandahar Province. - Photo by Baz Ratner for Reuters

A soldier stands guard near a campaign billboard of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Mosul. - Photo by Reuters

Girls practice during class at a ballet school for children in Tbilisi. - Photo by David Mdzinarishvili for Reuters