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 05, 2022, 7:37 AM EST
Russia's Aeroflot to suspend all international flights
Russia's flagship airline Aeroflot announced Saturday that it will temporarily suspend all international flights from March 8.
In a statement on its website, the airline cited "the occurrence of additional circumstances that impede the operation of flights."
"The cancellation also applies to international destinations in the schedule of Rossiya and Aurora airlines," Aeroflot said.
In this file photo taken on April 12, 2021, the logo of Russia's flagship airline Aeroflot is pictured on its tickets office in central Moscow.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images, File
Mar 05, 2022, 7:02 AM EST
Ukraine postpones civilian evacuations from Mariupol, accusing Russia of breaking cease-fire
Russian forces continued to shell Ukraine's strategic port city of Mariupol on Saturday despite agreeing to a temporary cease-fire to allow civilians to evacuate, according to the regional governor.
"Due to the fact that the Russians do not observe the regime of silence and continue shelling of Mariupol and its environs, for security reasons, the evacuation of the population has been postponed," Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a statement posted on social media. "We ask people to leave the gathering places and go to the shelters. Additional information about the evacuation will be posted soon. Police officers will also use loudspeakers to inform the city's residents."
The Associated Press reported that Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office, confirmed that the evacuation effort in Mariupol was stopped because the city remained under fire on Saturday.
"The Russian side is not holding to the ceasefire and has continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area," Tymoshenko said, according to AP. "Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a cease-fire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor."
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
Earlier Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it has agreed with Ukrainian forces to open humanitarian corridors in Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and in the eastern city of Volnovakha between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Moscow time. The deal was reached during the second round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations earlier this week.
Mariupol has been under ferocious, indiscriminate bombardment with heavy artillery and missile strikes for days, causing the city to sometimes lose power and water. Local officials have described bodies strewn across the streets because authorities are unable to collect them.
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell
Mar 05, 2022, 2:25 AM EST
Russia announces temporary cease-fire to let civilians leave 2 Ukrainian cities
Russia announced Saturday a temporary cease-fire in two besieged cities of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement carried by state news agencies that it has agreed with Ukrainian forces to open humanitarian corridors in the strategic port of Mariupol and the eastern town of Volnovakha beginning at 10 a.m. Moscow time.
A child sleeps in an armchair as others gather in a shelter during Russian shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
"Starting at 10 a.m. Moscow time today, on March 5, the Russian side declares a ceasefire and opens humanitarian passages for civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha," the ministry said. "Humanitarian passages and exit routes have been coordinated with the Ukrainian side."
There was no immediate confirmation from Ukraine, and it was unclear how long the evacuation routes would remain open.
-ABC News' Anastasia Bagaeva
Mar 04, 2022, 9:27 PM EST
'They even sent skis': Donations pile up at Poland-Ukraine border
Deb Parry, who is currently leading Save the Children’s team in Poland, told ABC News she has never seen anything like the outpouring of help on the Polish border.
“I’ve worked for Save the Children for 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s a phenomenal amount of aid being sent. Everything these families could possibly need.”
“They even sent skis!” she exclaimed.
Skis and snowboard donations are piled up in Dolhobyczow, Poland, a village near the border with Ukraine, as refugees stream in from the war-torn country.
Deb Parry/Save the Children
The donations are piling up all over Poland and being dropped near the crossings and reception centers throughout the country. Piles of skis and snowboards were stacked up at Dolhobyczow, a village near the Ukraine border.
“I’m not sure why people think they need skis,” Parry said.
Because of this effort by local communities, Save the Children can focus on things other than the distribution of necessities. More than 700,000 refugees have streamed across the Poland border since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 -- almost all of whom are women and children.
Save the Children is helping parents talk to their children about war. They have teamed up with the telecom companies providing SIM cards and hand out leaflets with information for how best to cope in these trying conditions.
“It’s important to keep children in some sort of a routine,” Parry explained, adding that parents or caretakers need to be careful about what they expose children to.
