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 wintersets in.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 05, 2023, 3:56 PM EST
Netanyahu considers sending Ukraine 'Iron Dome' defense system
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview Saturday that he is considering sending to Ukraine an Iron Dome defense system.
Netanyahu told French broadcasters TF1 and LCI that he is "looking into" sending Ukraine the mobile all-weather air defense system that has helped protect his country from Palestinian rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.
"I said I’m looking into it and I’m doing just that," Netanyahu said during a visit to France.
In October, the Ukrainian government sent Israel an official request for the Iron Dome system to fend off Iranian ballistic missiles and attack drones used by Russia in Ukraine.
Netanyahu did not disclose a timeframe for when the defense system might be sent to Ukraine, saying, he is reviewing the request from Ukraine and the overall policy for supplying the system.
Feb 05, 2023, 12:19 PM EST
Fierce fighting continues in Kharkiv, Bakhmut
At least five people were injured Sunday when Russian missiles hit a residential building and a university in central Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, Ukrainian officials said.
Kharkiv Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said four people were hurt when a Russian missile landed near an apartment building in central Kharkiv, according to The Associated Press.
Syniehubov said one other person was injured in a missile strike on a building at the National Academy for Urban Economy, a university near Kharkiv's central square.
The missile strikes prompted the evacuation of local residents, Syniehubov said.
"In short, there was a strong blast, and it was just one short moment and everything happened," one of the evacuees, Lyudmyula Krylova, told Reuters.
Krylova said she was in the residential building near where the missile landed.
"We were saved by the furniture that fell on us, and because of this we are now alive," said Krylova, adding that a friend was injured in the attack and taken to a hospital.
Meanwhile, fighting intensified Sunday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Prigozhin denied reports that Ukrainian forces were retreating from the area. He said the Ukrainian troops were fighting for “every street, every house, every stairwell.”
Feb 03, 2023, 4:58 PM EST
American volunteer medic killed in Ukraine
An American volunteer medic was killed in Ukraine on Thursday while helping civilians evacuate, according to his family and Global Outreach Doctors, the humanitarian organization he was volunteering with.
Pete Reed, 33, died after his evacuation vehicle was hit with a reported missile in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, according to Global Outreach Doctors.
"Pete was a beacon of humanitarian work -- an incredible visionary, leader, compassionate care provider, and an inspiration to us all," Global Outreach Doctors founder and president Andrew Lustig said in a statement on social media Friday. "He selflessly dedicated his life in service to others, especially those affected by disaster and war. Pete accomplished more in his 33 years than most of us in our entire lives. He leaves behind an incredible legacy."
His family said that Reed was responding to wounded civilians when his ambulance was shelled.
"He died doing what he was great at, what gave him life, and what he loved, and apparently by saving a team member with his own body," his family said in a statement shared to social media on Friday. "As you can imagine we are all in shock and have much to do to get him home so we ask for privacy presently."
Reed was a former U.S. Marine who joined Global Outreach Doctors in January to serve as its Ukraine country director, Lustig said.
The State Department did not name Reed directly, in accordance with its standard privacy practices, though a spokesperson confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine and said that officials from the department "are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance."
Feb 03, 2023, 2:49 PM EST
US announces 1st transfer of seized assets to war effort
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced during a meeting with Ukraine's top prosecutor on Friday that he has authorized the first transfer of forfeited Russian assets to go toward the Ukrainian war and recovery effort.
The $5.4 million was formally ordered confiscated Thursday from sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev. Garland's order will direct the money to the State Department for use in Ukraine under a new law signed by President Joe Biden late last year.
"The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable Russian oligarchs and others whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unprovoked and unjust war in Ukraine," Garland said in his meeting with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. "And we will continue to work closely with our international partners to support investigation and prosecution of the atrocities that have occurred during this war."
Kostin thanked Garland for authorizing the transfer, which he said showed "the responsible party pays for the devastation that it caused."
"The reparation of tremendous human and material damage to Ukraine and Ukrainian people is an important aspect in our quest for justice," Kostin said.