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, 5:40 PM EDT
EU approves 5th round of sanctions against Russia
The European Union approved a fifth round of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, officials said.
The "substantial" package extends sanctions to "oligarchs, Russian propaganda actors, members of the security and military apparatus and entities in the industrial and technological sector linked to the Russian aggression against Ukraine," according to the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.
It also includes a ban on coal imports from Russia, an embargo on arms to Russia and a freeze on the assets of several Russian banks, among other sanctions.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Apr 07, 2022, 5:21 PM EDT
Biden calls UN suspension of Russia a 'meaningful step'
President Joe Biden applauded Thursday's vote by the United Nations General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.
"This is a meaningful step by the international community further demonstrating how Putin’s war has made Russia an international pariah," he said in a statement.
"Russia is committing gross and systemic violations of human rights. Russian forces are committing war crimes," he continued. "Russia has no place on the Human Rights Council."
Biden referenced the "horrifying" images out of Bucha and other areas of Ukraine.
"The signs of people being raped, tortured, executed -- in some cases having their bodies desecrated -- are an outrage to our common humanity," he said. "Russia's lies are no match for the undeniable evidence of what is happening in Ukraine."
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Apr 07, 2022, 2:45 PM EDT
Blinken shares graphic details of alleged atrocities in Ukraine
At a press conference Thursday Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared graphic details of atrocities in Ukraine allegedly carried out by Russian forces.
He spoke of how Russian troops gathered about 40 people in a town square in Bucha and allegedly executed one young man.
He described how one woman in Kharkiv, sheltering with her neighbors and daughters, reported being taken by a Russian soldier to an empty classroom, where he allegedly cut her face and neck with a knife, raped her at gunpoint and threatened to kill her.
"With each day, more and more credible reports of rape, killings, torture are emerging. And for every Bucha, there are many more towns Russia has occupied and more towns it is still occupying -- places where, we must assume, Russian soldiers are committing more atrocities right now," Blinken said.
"The sickening images and accounts coming out of Bucha and other parts of Ukraine have only strengthened our collective resolve and unity," Blinken said as he detailed several steps the U.S. and its allies are taking, including tightening sanctions, sending more lethal aid to Ukraine and collecting evidence of war crimes.
A woman carries her cat as she walks past buildings that were destroyed by Russian shelling, in Borodyanka, in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 5, 2022.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Tanya Nedashkivska reacts as she recounts how her husband Vasyl Ivanovych, who served in the navy, was killed by Russian soldiers, as she stands near their residential building in Bucha, Ukraine, April 3, 2022.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Blinken was pressed repeatedly on what more allies can do to help Ukrainee. He didn't have any announcements, but defended Western aid, saying they've provided the weapons and systems that Ukraine can use most effectively, that its forces are already trained on, and that can be transferred fast.
Blinken vowed, "We're not going to let anything stand in the way of getting Ukrainians what they need and what we believe can be effective. So we're looking across the board right now not only at what we've provided and continue to provide, but whether there are additional systems that would make a difference and that we can provide them."
-ABC News' Conor Finnegan
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.
