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, 1:16 PM EDT
NATO leaders including Biden to meet March 24
NATO leaders will meet on March 24 to address the Russian invasion, NATO's "strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted.
President Joe Biden will travel to Brussels next week to attend the NATO leaders summit, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
"He will also join a scheduled European Council summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence and address other challenges related to the conflict," Psaki said.
-ABC News' Conor Finnegan
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.
