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 09, 2022, 4:28 PM EST
Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers to hold face-to-face meeting in Turkey
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday, ahead of the start of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
This will be the first face-to-face high-level meetings between Russian and Ukrainian officials since the Russian invasion began.
This meeting is a continuation of the negotiating process "and a very important one," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speak to the media after meeting at the Ukrainian-Polish border crossing in Korczowa, Poland, March 5, 2022.
Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Lavrov is expected to make a speech on Moscow's position on current issues in Antalya, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is also scheduled to attend the meeting with Kuleba.
The third round of talks between Russian-Ukrainian delegates was held in Belarus on Monday.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Mar 09, 2022, 4:32 PM EST
UNICEF director condemns Russian attack on Ukraine maternity hospital
The head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) strongly condemned a missile attack apparently launched by Russia Wednesday on a maternity hospital in Ukraine.
"I am horrified by the reported attack today on a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine -- an attack which reportedly left young children and women in labor buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings," UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "We do not yet know the number of casualties but fear the worst."
Mariana Vishegirskaya evacuates the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022, after a Russian attack severely damaged the facility.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A devastating airstrike destroyed a maternity and children’s hospital in the besieged southeastern Ukrainian city, causing multiple casualties. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and local officials posted videos on social media of the destroyed hospital.
Zelenskyy called the attack an "atrocity."
Ukrainian servicemen search the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Russell said that if confirmed, the attack "underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine’s children and families."
"In less than two weeks, at least 37 children have been killed and 50 injured, while more than 1 million children have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries," Russell said.
Ukrainian soldiers and emergency employees work at the site of the shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Russell added, "Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure --including hospitals, water and sanitation systems and schools -- are unconscionable and must stop immediately. UNICEF renews its call for an immediate cease-fire and urges all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children from harm, and to ensure that humanitarian actors can safely and quickly reach children in need. The children of Ukraine desperately need peace."
Mar 09, 2022, 3:33 PM EST
Russia confirmed use of vacuum bombs, says UK defense ministry
Russia has confirmed the use of thermobaric rockets, or vacuum bombs, the U.K. Ministry of Defense tweeted Wednesday.
The weapon uses a fuel container and two separate explosive charges to ignite a blast of extreme pressure and heat, creating a partial vacuum in an enclosed space.
The impact from the bomb is "devastating," according to the ministry.
-ABC News' Guy Davies
Mar 09, 2022, 3:21 PM EST
Papa John's, Heineken suspend operations in Russia
Papa John's and Heineken are the latest brands to cease business in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The American pizza chain and the Dutch beer company join internationally known brands such as McDonald's, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Starbucks in suspending operations in Russia.
While Heineken has stopped the production and sale of beer in Russia, Papa John’s has suspended all corporate operations there as well.
"It has ceased all operational, marketing and business support to, and engagement with, the Russian market, where all restaurants are owned by independent franchisees, and a master franchisee who controls operations and provides all supplies and ingredients for the restaurants through a supply chain that it owns and operates," a statement released Wednesday by Papa John’s read.
