Russia-Ukraine updates: US sanctions Russian military shipbuilder, diamond miner

Russia's largest military shipbuilding and diamond mining firms were targeted.

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.

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Two Men at War

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.

Apr 05, 2022, 11:02 AM EDT

European Commission proposes new sanctions on Russia

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a proposal Tuesday for new sanctions targeting Russia's economy.

The proposal will require the approval of the European Union's member states.

In a statement, von der Leyen accused Moscow of "waging a cruel and ruthless war in Ukraine and said its alleged atrocities "cannot and will not be left unanswered."

Among the new sanctions being proposed are banning imports of coal from Russia, banning Russian ships and Russian-operated ships from accessing European Union ports and banning imports of other Russian products including seafood, liquor, and wood. The proposal also calls for a full transaction ban on four key Russian banks - among them the country’s second-largest, VTB.

Apr 05, 2022, 10:28 AM EDT

Blinken calls Bucha atrocities 'deliberate campaign to kill'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the death and destruction in Bucha, Ukraine, reportedly at the hands of Russian forces shows a "deliberate campaign to kill, to torture, to rape, to commit atrocities."

Blinken spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding a plane to Brussels for the Western military alliance's annual spring meeting of foreign ministers.

He said the reports of atrocities emerging in Bucha, a suburb of the capital of Kyiv were "more than credible" and added it "reinforces our determination and the determination of countries around the world to make sure that one way or another, one day or another, there is accountability for those who committed these acts, for those who ordered them."

Ukrainian forces in recent days retook Bucha from the Russians and found the bodies of more than 400 civilians lying dead in the streets or in mass graves, some with their hands bound and shot at close range.

Blinken didn't directly address a question of whether the United States has evidence linking the atrocities on the ground in Busha to Russian officials back in Moscow. Instead, he said the United States is working to support efforts to document evidence by Ukraine's prosecutor-general, the U.N. Human Rights Council's commission of inquiry, and others.

Blinken noted that before the war began, U.S. officials warned that atrocities "would be part of the Russian campaign."

"Horrifically, tragically, what we're seeing in Bucha and in other places supports that," Blinken said.

He said the United States will work with its NATO and G-7 allies to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia, especially with meetings among both groups later this week in Brussels.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Apr 05, 2022, 10:09 AM EDT

European leaders join allies in expelling Russian diplomats

Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden announced Tuesday they are joining other European counties in expelling Russian diplomats as horrific images emerge of the bodies of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, allegedly killed by Russian forces.

The moves come a day after Germany and France said they are expelling Russian diplomats, citing security risks and the alleged atrocities in Bucha.

A neighbor comforts Natalya, whose husband and nephew were killed by Russian forces, as she cries in her garden in Bucha, Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
Vadim Ghirda/AP

"This is another example of brutality, cruelty and war crimes, which apparently have taken place in Bucha," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said his country is expelling about 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff "who represent a threat to the interests and security of our country."

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said three Russian diplomats will be expelled from Sweden for spying and Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio issued a statement confirming his country is expelling 30 Russian envoys for national security.

"The measure is in agreement with other European and Atlantic partners and is necessary for reasons linked to our national security and in the context of the current crisis caused by the unjustified aggression against Ukraine on the part of the Russian Federation," Di Maio said.

The decisions by Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Spain to expel a total of 73 Russian diplomats prompted condemnation from the Kremlin.

"The narrowing of the window for diplomatic communication, diplomatic work under such unprecedentedly difficult crisis conditions is a shortsighted move," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news conference.

Peskov added that the expulsions "will inevitably lead to retaliatory steps."

Apr 05, 2022, 9:04 AM EDT

Video shows Russian tank firing on cyclist in Bucha

Video has emerged purportedly showing a Russian tank firing on a cyclist in the besieged Ukrainian city of Bucha.

PHOTO: Video shows a cyclist in Bucha, killed by tank fire as he turns a corner just out of view of the camera.
Video shows a cyclist in Bucha, killed by tank fire as he turns a corner just out of view of the camera. The Ukraine military said the footage was shot March 3, 2022, AP video from the week of April 4, shows the body of the cyclist still in the same place where he died.
Ukraine Military

The footage, provided to Ukrainian public broadcasting company Suspilne Media by the Ukrainian military, was reportedly taken on March 3.

The blast from the tank firing is seen just above the roof of the blue house at left, as it fires on the cyclist in Bucha, as he turns a corner just out of view of the video camera.
Ukraine Military

The video captures the moment a tank fires at a person riding a bike in the streets of Bucha when the town, northwest of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian forces.

PHOTO: Smoke rises on the far side of the white house at right, after a cyclist in Bucha was shot by tank fire after he turned a corner just out of view of the camera.
Smoke rises on the far side of the white house at right, after a cyclist in Bucha was shot by tank fire after he turned a corner just out of view of the camera, in an image from video. The Ukraine military said the footage was shot March 3, 2022, AP video from the week of April 4, shows the body of the cyclist still lying in the same place where he died. fires
Ukraine Military

Although the video does not show the moment of death, footage taken by an Associated Press journalist in Bucha earlier this week appears to show a deceased cyclist still lying in the same spot.

-ABC News' Monica Camacho

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