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.
Apr 04, 2022, 3:12 PM EDT
France to expel Russian diplomats, cites security risk
France's foreign ministry announced that it decided Monday evening to expel "many" Russian diplomats.
France's decision came hours after the German foreign minister said her country is moving to expel a "significant" number of Russian diplomats following reports that Russian troops killed more than 400 civilians in the Ukraine city of Bucha.
Tanya Nedashkivs'ka, 57, mourns the death of her husband who was killed in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
Rodrigo Abd/AP
A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said the action by France is "part of a European approach" and expects other European Union nations to make similar announcements. The spokesperson did not disclose how many Russian diplomats will be expelled.
"France decided this evening to expel many Russian personnel with diplomatic status assigned to France whose activities are contrary to our security interests," the spokesperson said. "Our first responsibility is always to ensure the safety of French people and Europeans."
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Apr 04, 2022, 2:23 PM EDT
Nearly 70% of Russian troops near Kyiv have withdrawn: US official
About two-thirds of the Russian forces that were arrayed against the capital of Ukraine have withdrawn toward Belarus, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
The number of Russian forces being pulled back from Kyiv is up from an estimated 20% late last week, the official said.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands on the turret of a destroyed Russian army tank not far from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, April 3, 2022.
Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin told reporters last week that Russia's military activity was being dramatically curtailed near Kyiv and in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine in an attempt to increase "mutual trust and create conditions required" for further peace talks with Ukrainian negotiators.
The United States has been skeptical of Russia's promise to scale back its military activity near Kyiv.
Before repositioning its forces, Russia had close to 20 battalion tactical groups (BTGs) bearing down on Kyiv from the north and northwest, with each group comprised of 700 to 900 troops. Roughly 13 of those BTGs are now either in Belarus or on their way there.
The Pentagon believes the withdrawing forces will be resupplied and possibly reinforced in the north before heading back into Ukraine to fight elsewhere, the official said.
"Our best assessment –- and it is only an assessment -– is that they will be applied in the eastern part of the country in the Donbas region," the official said of the two separatist areas, Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent self-proclaimed people's republics prior to the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
The United States has also seen some Russian troops leave the city of Sumy in northeast Ukraine and head north to the Russian border, according to the official.
Despite these movements, the official said the "vast majority" of the more than 125 BTGs that Russia committed to the invasion remain inside Ukraine.
-ABC News' Matt Seyler
Apr 04, 2022, 1:07 PM EDT
Germany to expel a 'significant' number of Russian diplomats
Germany's foreign minister said Monday that her country is moving to expel a "significant" number of Russian diplomats following reports that Russian troops killed more than 400 civilians in the Ukraine city of Bucha.
"The pictures from Bucha bear witness to the unbelievable brutality of the Russian leadership and of those who follow its propaganda, to a will to annihilate that transcends all borders. We have to fear similar pictures from many other places that Russian troops have occupied in Ukraine," Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement.
A grave site, an approximatly 45-foot trench, in the southwestern section of the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints in Bucha, Ukraine is seen March 31.
Baerbock added that Germany is opposed to the inhumanity alleged in Bucha and must stand for freedom and be prepared to defend it. Baerbock said Germany, therefore, has decided to declare a significant number of the Russian diplomats persona non grata.
A mass grave is seen behind the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints in the town of Bucha, northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on April 3, 2022.
Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
She said the Russian ambassador to Germany was informed of the decision on Monday afternoon.
Germany will also take further action against Russia together with allies, tightening existing sanctions, increasing support for Ukraine's armed forces and strengthening the NATO eastern flank.
The statement and corresponding tweet from Baerbock does not say how many diplomats will be expelled.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Apr 04, 2022, 11:56 AM EDT
ICRC team blocked from entering Mariupol again, 'being held' in nearby town
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday that its staff has been blocked again from entering Mariupol after failing to reach the besieged Ukrainian port city for several days.
In this photo taken in Irpin, Ukraine, on April 1, 2022, a vehicle belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is seen on a damaged street as the organization delivers food and first aid to residents.
ICRC via Reuters
An ICRC team tasked with escorting evacuation buses to and from Mariupol "was stopped on Monday while carrying out humanitarian efforts to help lead a safe passage corridor for civilians" and is now "being held in the town of Manhush," about 12 miles west of Mariupol, according to an ICRC spokesperson.
"The ICRC has been in direct contact with our colleagues and is speaking with the parties on all sides to bring clarity to the situation and allow them to resume their humanitarian work," the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
