Russian President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation” into Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with troops crossing the border from Belarus and Russia. Moscow's forces have since been met with “stiff resistance” from Ukrainians, according to U.S. officials.
Russian forces retreated last week from the Kyiv suburbs, leaving behind a trail of destruction. After graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha, U.S. and European officials accused Russian troops of committing war crimes.
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 15, 2022, 1:05 PM EDT
Russian TV anti-war protester fined and released
Anti-war protester Marina Ovsyannikova has been fined and released after crashing a Russian state news broadcast.
She told reporters she was interrogated for more than 14 hours and said she'd provide more comments on Wednesday.
Marina Ovsyannikova, the editor at the state broadcaster Channel One, speaks to the media as she leaves the Ostankinsky District Court after being fined for 30,000 rubles ($280, 247 euros) for breaching protest laws in Moscow, March 15, 2022.
AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell
Mar 15, 2022, 11:34 AM EDT
US, EU, UK expand sanctions targeting Russia
The European Union Council on Tuesday imposed a fourth package of economic and individual sanctions, including restricting the export of luxury goods to Russia and banning new investments in Russia's energy sector.
Sanctions also target "key oligarchs, lobbyist and propagandists pushing the Kremlin’s narrative on the situation in Ukraine," the Council said in a statement.
"The aim of the sanctions is that President Putin stops this inhuman and senseless war," Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement.
A view of the damaged buildings following an attack on the Yavoriv military base, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yavoriv, Ukraine, March 13, 2022.
BackAndAlive via Reuters
Smoke rises amid damaged buildings following an attack on the Yavoriv military base, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yavoriv, Ukraine, March 13, 2022.
BackAndAlive via Reuters
The United Kingdom is expanding sanctions targeting over 300 people including former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and oligarchs with an estimated worth of more than $94 billion.
The U.S. is also expanding sanctions, including against Russian Ministry of Defense officials.
The State Department is also implementing a new visa ban policy against Russian officials who have "cracked down on Russian citizens who have taken to the streets to protest their government's brutal campaign in Ukraine" and "are responsible for suppressing dissent in occupied areas of Ukraine."
In retaliation for sanctions from the U.S., Russia’s foreign ministry has announced personal sanctions against President Joe Biden and many top administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The sanctions also target Biden’s son, Hunter, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou, Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Conor Finnegan
Mar 15, 2022, 7:51 AM EDT
2 killed in strike on Kyiv neighborhood
Two people were killed on Tuesday morning after Russian forces shelled residential areas in Kyiv, officials said.
Firefighters extinguish fires in an apartment building in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 15, 2022.
Felipe Dana/AP
The sound of large explosions echoed across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes. The shelling ignited a huge fire and a frantic rescue effort in the Svyatoshyn neighborhood.
An elderly woman is helped by policemen after she was rescued by firefighters from inside her apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 15, 2022.
Felipe Dana/AP
Firefighters work at the scene of an apartment building in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 15, 2022.
Felipe Dana/AP
Shockwaves from an explosion also damaged the entry to a downtown subway station that has been used as a bomb shelter. City authorities tweeted an image of the blown-out facade, saying trains would no longer stop at the station.
A woman reacts after being rescued by firefighters from her apartment in a burning building in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 15, 2022.
Felipe Dana/AP
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Mar 15, 2022, 5:51 AM EDT
Residents protest in Russian-occupied cities: UK military
Residents of Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk, cities occupied by Russian forces, have held “multiple” demonstrations protesting the occupation, the U.K. Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
Protests in Kherson came as Russia may be making plans for a “referendum” to legitimize the region as a Russian-backed “breakaway republic,” similar to Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, the Ministry said.
Live-streamed footage shows people carrying a banner in the colours of the Ukrainian flag as they protest amid Russia's invasion, in Kherson, Ukraine, March 13, 2022.
Video obtained by Reuters/via Reuters
“Further protests were reported in the city yesterday with Russian forces reportedly firing warning shots in an attempt to disperse peaceful protesters,” the Ministry said.
Russia is likely to “make further attempts to subvert Ukrainian democracy,” the update said.
“Russia has reportedly installed its own mayor in Melitopol following the alleged abduction of his predecessor on Friday 11 March,” the update said. “Subsequently, the Mayor of Dniprorudne has also reportedly been abducted by Russian forces.”