Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin suspends key US-Russia nuclear treaty

President Vladimir Putin said he'd sought an "open dialogue" with the West.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Bill Hutchinson, Ivan Pereira, Patricio Chile, Kevin Shalvey, Julia Jacobo, Teddy Grant, Jon Haworth, and Mary Kekatos
Last Updated: February 24, 2023, 5:53 AM EST

Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout the east and south.

Putin's forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.

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Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 03, 2023, 11:55 AM EST

Zelenskyy: 'Nobody will give away Bakhmut'

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will "fight for as long as we can" to hold on to the eastern city of Bakhmut in remarks on Friday.

"Nobody will give away Bakhmut," Zelenskyy said during a news conference with European Union officials after a summit in Kyiv, Reuters reported. "We consider Bakhmut our fortress."

People walk on a destroyed bridge to cross a canal towards the disputed area in Bakhmut on Feb. 1, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

"Ukraine would be able to hold Bakhmut and liberate occupied Donbas if it received long-range weapons," he added.

The remarks come as Ukrainian and Russian forces remain locked in a brutal battle in and around Bakhmut.

Feb 02, 2023, 10:54 AM EST

3 civilians killed in ballistic missile strike in Kramatorsk

At least three people were killed and 21 injured in Kramatorsk after a Russian ballistic missile hit a residential building, Mayor Alexander Goncharenko said.

People work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Feb. 1, 2023.
Handout via Reuters

A view shows a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Feb. 1, 2023.
Pavlo Kyrylenko via Reuters

People work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Feb. 1, 2023.
Serhii Horbatenko via Reuters

"Some people are still under the rubble. No goal other than terror," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday evening. "The only way to stop Russian terrorism is to defeat it. By tanks. Fighter jets. Long-range missiles."

-ABC News' William Gretsky

Feb 01, 2023, 1:51 PM EST

US issues additional sanctions against Russian military-industrial complex

The U.S. Treasury Department announced a new round of sanctions against 22 individuals and entities across various countries it alleges have aided Russia's military-industrial complex evade other sanctions already in place. The U.S. is specifically targeting a father and son arms-dealing duo and their vast international network.

The department said these steps are part of "the U.S. strategy to methodically and intensively target sanctions evasion efforts around the globe, close down key backfilling channels, expose facilitators and enablers, and limit Russia’s access to revenue needed to wage its brutal war in Ukraine."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

Jan 31, 2023, 7:31 AM EST

Human Rights Watch calls on Ukraine to investigate use of landmines in Izium

Human Rights Watch is calling on Ukraine to investigate its military's "apparent use of thousands of rocket-fired antipersonnel landmines in and around the eastern city of Izium where Russian forces occupied the area."

The international non-governmental organization issued a press release on Monday saying it has "documented numerous cases in which rockets carrying PFM antipersonnel mines, also called 'butterfly mines' or 'petal mines,' were fired into Russian-occupied areas near Russian military facilities." Ukraine is a state party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which prohibits any use of antipersonnel mines.

Human Rights Watch said it has previously documented Russian forces’ use of antipersonnel landmines in Ukraine in 2022.

"Ukrainian forces appear to have extensively scattered landmines around the Izium area, causing civilian casualties and posing an ongoing risk," Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Russian forces have repeatedly used antipersonnel mines and committed atrocities across the country, but this doesn't justify Ukrainian use of these prohibited weapons."

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