Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
A look at the two leaders at the center of the war in Ukraine and how they both rose to power, the difference in their leadership and what led to this moment in history.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 01, 2022, 3:10 PM EST
Russian missile hits Kyiv TV tower, killing at least 5
The tower that provides the main signal to TV and radio in Kyiv has been struck by a Russian missile, leaving at least five dead, Ukrainian officials said.
A blast is seen at a TV tower, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that the tower "is situated on the territory of Babyn Yar. On September 29-30, 1941, Nazis killed over 33 thousand Jews here. 80 years later, Russian Nazis strike this same land to exterminate Ukrainians. Evil and barbaric."
Ukraine's President President Volodymr Zelenskyy tweeted, "What is the point of saying «never again» for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least 5 killed. History repeating."
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Mar 01, 2022, 1:51 PM EST
Russians running out of food, gas: US official
The Russian forces charging toward Kyiv haven't made progress in the last day as they face Ukrainian resistance and low food and gas supply, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Tuesday.
However, it could be a deliberate pause, the official said. "Part of the stall could be ... as a result of their own self-determined sort of pause in operations -- that they are possibly regrouping, rethinking, reevaluating," the official said.
In this aereal image, a Russian military convoy is seen south of Ivankiv, north of Kyiv, stretching from near Antonov airport in the south to the northern-end of the convoy near Prybirsk (distance along the road is approximately 40 miles) on Feb. 28, 2022.
The U.S. believes Russian forces "have committed now more than 80% of what was their pre-staged combat power," the official added.
The official said some Russian soldiers weren't told they were going into combat. The official said "not all of them were apparently fully trained and prepared."
The strong Ukrainian resistance has also hurt morale, according to the official.
Russia has now launched more than 400 missiles on Ukraine, the official said. The U.S. believes Russia has launchers that could be used for thermobaric weapons, but cannot confirm their use, the official said.
A vehicle sits in Kharkiv, near the regional administration building, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack, March 1, 2022.
Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Reuters
Russian forces are making the most progress in the south. Russians are attacking Kherson in south Ukraine, which "appears very much to be contested city at this point," the official said.
Russians are also approaching Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, and while they haven't yet entered the city, "they are close enough now that they could attack Mariupol with long range fires," the official said.
Two towns on the path to Mariupol are believed to be occupied by the Russians, according to the official.
People take shelter inside a building in Mariupol, Ukraine, Feb. 27, 2022. Street fighting broke out in Ukraine's second-largest city and Russian troops squeezed strategic ports in the country's south as the prospect of peace talks remains uncertain.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
The U.S. believes the Russians hope to move north out of Mariupol up to the heavily-contested city of Kharkiv. The official said they believe Russian forces are trying to encircle Kharkiv.
A Russian Armoured personnel carrier burns during a fight with the Ukrainian armed forces in Kharkiv, Feb. 27, 2022.
Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. official noted that they've seen "certain risk-averse behavior by the Russian military" over the last week.
"Take the amphibious assault, for instance. They put those troops ashore a good 70 kilometers away from Mariupol because they knew Mariupol was going to be defended and they could put them ashore in an uncontested environment. And they still haven't reached Mariupol," the official said.
"They are not necessarily willing to take high risks with their own aircraft and their own pilots," the official said.
"And of course we're seeing that on the ground -- the fairly slow and steady progress that they have made, and you guys are seeing it for yourselves on the ground where ... units are surrendering, sometimes without a fight."
-ABC News' Matt Seyler
Mar 01, 2022, 12:00 PM EST
NATO won't fight Russian forces in Ukraine
In a joint press conference in Estonia, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg were asked why there isn't a no-fly zone over Ukraine, they said NATO will provide defensive military support by providing arms, but ultimately NATO is a defensive alliance and they won't fight Russian forces in Ukraine.
In this aereal image, a Russian military convoy and burning homes are seen north of Kyiv, stretching from near Antonov airport in the south to the northern-end of the convoy near Prybirsk (distance along the road is approximately 40 miles) on Feb. 28, 2022.
"When it comes to a no-fly zone... we have to accept the reality that involves shooting down Russian planes," Johnson said. "That's a very, very big step that is simply not on the agenda of any NATO country."
Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said NATO should be prepared to defend the most vulnerable part of NATO, which is the Baltic countries, and need to move from a "forward presence to forward defense, and from air policing to air defense."
Johnson also said, "If Vladimir Putin thinks he's going to push NATO back by what he's doing, he's gravely mistaken. This will end up with a fortified and strengthened NATO on his Western flank -- you'll have more NATO, not less NATO."
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Mar 01, 2022, 11:43 AM EST
136 civilian deaths reported
A spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said 136 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, including 13 children.
Emergency personnel carry a body out of the damaged local city hall of Kharkiv, March 1, 2022, destroyed by Russian shelling.
Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images
Another 400 Ukrainian civilians have been wounded, spokesperson Liz Throssell said.
A destroyed bridge near the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region of Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.
