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 07, 2022, 1:52 PM EDT
House votes to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, ban Russian energy imports
The House voted 420-3 Thursday on the Senate-passed bill to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus.
Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against the bill, which would allow the Biden administration to raise tariffs on certain goods but have a limited economic impact on Russia.
The bill stalled in the Senate for weeks over Republican Sen. Rand Paul's concerns about human rights language being too broadly written.
The House also approved the symbolic ban on Russian energy imports into the U.S. The Biden administration has already implemented the ban through executive order.
-ABC News' Ben Siegel
Apr 07, 2022, 12:50 PM EDT
'Big Russian offensive' expected in Donbas: NATO SG
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Thursday that there's no indication of a Russian retreat. Instead, he said Russia is regrouping and repositioning forces to the east, warning that "a big Russian offensive" is expected in the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine.
Residents run near a burning house following a shelling Severodonetsk, Donbass region, Ukraine, April 6, 2022.
Fadel Sanna/AFP via Getty Images
Stoltenberg also warned that the war could last for "months and possibly also for years."
"If the war is going to drag on and be long, then the risk is first and foremost for the people of Ukraine," he said, acknowledging that as long as the war continues, there will be a risk of escalation beyond Ukraine.
"And that's exactly what NATO is focused on -- is to prevent that escalation," he said.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Apr 07, 2022, 12:16 PM EDT
UN votes to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council
In an unprecedented move, the U.N. General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from the body’s Human Rights Council, marking the first time a permanent member of the U.N.’s Security Council has ever been removed from a post within the international organization.
A family walks amid destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 6, 2022.
Felipe Dana/AP
Police officers work on identifying bodies of civilians, before sending them to the morgue, in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 6, 2022.
Rodrigo Abd/AP
To pass, the measure needed two-thirds approval from the voting members of the General Assembly. Ninety-three countries voted in favor of the resolution. Twenty-four voted against it and 58 abstained.
Before the vote, a chorus of countries aligned with Russia aired their grievances, including Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Syria and Cuba.
China's U.N. envoy Zhang Jun said it would side with Russia out of opposition to “exerting pressure on other countries in the name of human rights,” saying the measure would “deprive a country’s legitimate membership in the Human Rights Council.” Jun also expressed disapproval for the sanctions the West has levied against Russia.
Russia’s suspension is the result of a U.S.-led effort launched as a direct response to horrific images of corpses left behind in Bucha and other towns after Russian forces withdrew. While Russia has denied responsibility, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has said Russia must be held accountable.
The Human Rights Council is currently investigating allegations of war crimes, though Russia voted against the inquiry, calling it a “waste of resources.”
People charge their cellphones in a public building in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, on April 6, 2022, during Russia's military invasion launched on Ukraine.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
This is only the second time that any country has had its membership revoked from the Human Rights Council. Libya was suspended in 2011 because of violence towards protestors by military forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
Apr 07, 2022, 11:59 AM EDT
Senate unanimously passes bills to ban Russian oil imports, end normal trade relations with Russia
The Senate has unanimously passed two pieces of legislation aimed at further damaging Russia's economy.
People walk through debris and destroyed Russian military vehicles on a street in Bucha, Ukraine, April 6, 2022.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images
The first bill, passed by a rare 100-0 vote on the Senate floor, suspends Russia's and Belarus' permanent normal trade status with the U.S.
"No nation whose military is committing war crimes deserves free trade status with the United States," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor Thursday.
Bucha resident Tetiana Ustymenko weeps over the grave of her son, buried in the garden of her house, in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 6, 2022, amid Russia's invasion.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
The second bill, which also passed unanimously, codifies what the administration has already announced: a ban on the import of Russian oil to the U.S.
Negotiations over both pieces of legislation stalled for weeks as senators fought over certain provisions. Schumer on Wednesday called it a "big, big deal" that the bills would pass before the Senate departs for Easter recess at the end of the week.
Both bills were previously passed by the House, but have since been modified by the Senate. So the legislation now heads back to the House where members will take up the bills Thursday.
