Russian President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine's disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
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.
May 20, 2022, 1:10 PM EDT
Russia to cut off Finland's natural gas Saturday morning
Gasum, Finland's natural gas company, announced Friday that it was informed its imports from Russia's Gazprom Export will be cut off on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time.
The move by Russia comes days after Finland submitted its application to join NATO.
“It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted. However, we have been carefully preparing for this situation and provided that there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network, we will be able to supply all our customers with gas in the coming months,” Gasum CEO Mika Wiljanen said in a statement.
Gasum will supply natural gas to its customers from other sources though the Balticconnector pipeline, which connects Finland with Estonia, the company said in a statement.
Gasum said its gas-filling stations in the network area will continue in normal operation.
-ABC News' Alexandra Faul
May 20, 2022, 8:57 AM EDT
US-supplied howitzers to Ukraine lack accuracy-aiding computers
The M777 155mm howitzers are now being used by the Ukrainian military in its war with Russia.
The Pentagon did not deny that the artillery pieces were supplied without the computers but said it had received "positive feedback" from the Ukrainians about the "precise and highly effective" weapons.
U.S. Marine Corps M777 towed 155 mm howitzers are staged on the flight line prior to being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft bound for Europe for delivery to Ukrainian forces, at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., April 22, 2022.
U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Austin Fraley/Handout via Reuters
That positive sentiment was echoed by a Ukrainian politician, who spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity. However, the politician also expressed frustration that the artillery pieces had not been the fitted with the digital computer systems.
Artillery is currently playing a crucial role in the fighting across eastern Ukraine, as Russia continues its offensive in that part of the country. U.S. officials recently confirmed that all but one of the 90 howitzers promised to Ukraine had now been delivered, along with tactical vehicles used to tow them.
U.S. Marine Corps M777 towed 155 mm howitzers are staged prior to being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft bound for Europe for delivery to Ukrainian forces, at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., April 22, 2022.
U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Austin Fraley/Handout via Reuters
If fitted to a howitzer, the digital computer system enables the crew operating the weapon to quickly and accurately pinpoint a target. Howitzers without a computer system can still be fired accurately, using traditional methods to calculate the angle needed to hit a target.
Modern computer systems, however, rule out the possibility of human error. Why the artillery pieces supplied to Ukraine did not have the digital targeting technology installed is unclear. The Pentagon said it would not discuss individual components "for operational security reasons."
-ABC News' Tom Burridge and Luis Martinez
May 20, 2022, 6:58 AM EDT
1,700 Ukrainian soldiers likely surrendered from Mariupol plant, UK says
As many as 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have likely surrendered from the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant in war-ravaged Mariupol this week, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
"An unknown number of Ukrainian forces remain inside the factory," the ministry said Friday in an intelligence update. "Once Russia has secured Mariupol, it is likely they will move their forces to reinforce operations in the Donbas."
A bus carrying service members of the Ukrainian armed forces, who surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel mill, drives away under escort of the pro-Russian military in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol, Ukraine, May 19, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
For weeks, Ukrainian fighters and civilians were holed up inside the sprawling industrial site as the remaining pocket of resistance to Russia's relentless bombardment of Mariupol, a southeastern Ukrainian port city strategically located on the Sea of Azov between eastern Ukraine's disputed Donbas region and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia claimed Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered in Mariupol over the previous three days, while Ukraine confirmed Tuesday that more than 250 had yielded in the initial hours after it ordered them to do so.
Mariupol is the largest city that Russian forces have seized since launching an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. Its complete capture gives Russia total control of the coast of the Sea of Azov as well as a continuous stretch of territory along eastern and southern Ukraine.
A bus carrying service members of the Ukrainian armed forces, who surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel mill, drives away under escort of the pro-Russian military in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol, Ukraine, May 19, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
"Staunch Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol since the start of the war means Russian forces in the area must be re-equipped and refurbished before they can be redeployed effectively," the U.K. defense ministry said. "This can be a lengthy process when done thoroughly."
"Russian commanders, however, are under pressure to demonstrably achieve operational objectives," the ministry added. "This means that Russia will probably redistribute their forces swiftly without adequate preparation, which risks further force attrition."
May 20, 2022, 6:42 AM EDT
Belarus says nearly 28,000 Ukrainians have arrived since Russian invasion
Nearly 28,000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived in Belarus since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the Belarusian State Border Committee.
"Between 6 a.m. on February 24 and 6 a.m. on May 20, a total of 27,868 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus, including 15,793 who crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, 10,563 by transit through Poland, 1,305 through Lithuania, and 207 through Latvia," the committee said in a statement Friday.
In the past 24 hours alone, 154 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus, including 120 via Poland, according to the committee.
Belarus shares a land border with both Ukraine and Russia, and is Moscow's main ally.
