Russia-Ukraine updates: 2 US veterans who joined Ukrainian forces missing
The Americans, Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alexander Drueke, are both from Alabama.
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.
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Latest headlines:
At least 3 dead in shelling in Kharkiv
At least three people were killed and six others were injured in the Kharkiv area from ongoing shelling by Russian forces, according to the Kharkiv regional governor, Oleg Synegubov.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
Ukraine official: Hard to win 'without speeding up the supply of modern weapons'
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told ABC News that "it will be difficult for Ukraine to win this war without speeding up the supply of modern weapons."
He added, "The country is ready for long-term resistance, because we are fighting for our freedom."
This comes as the Donetsk People's Republic claims an advance in territory.
DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova told reporters, "We can say that the allied forces -- the DPR militia and units of the Russian Defense Ministry -- are in control of over 70% of the territory."
Ukrainian grain may be leaving ports -- but on Russian ships
There is evidence of Russian vessels departing "from near Ukraine with their cargo holds full of grain," a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told ABC News on Monday night.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that Russia seized at least 400,000 to 500,000 tons of grain worth over $100 million, according to the State Department spokesperson.
"Ukraine's MFA also has numerous testimonies from Ukrainian farmers and documentary evidence showing Russia's theft of Ukrainian grain," the spokesperson said.
The news of Ukrainian grain aboard Russian ships partly confirms a recent report by The New York Times that Moscow is seeking to profit off of grain plundered from Ukraine by selling the product while subverting sanctions. Ukraine has already accused Russia of shipping the stolen grain to buyers in Syria and Turkey.
Russia and Ukraine -- often referred to collectively as Europe's breadbasket -- produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but Kyiv has been unable to ship exports due to Moscow's offensive. A Russian blockade in the Black Sea, along with Ukrainian naval mines, have made exporting siloed grain virtually impossible and, as a result, millions of people around the world -- particularly in Africa and the Middle East -- are now on the brink of famine.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
2 planes owned by Russian oligarch grounded by US prosecutors
Two planes -- a Gulfstream G650 and a Boeing 787 -- have been grounded after federal prosecutors said their owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, violated U.S. sanctions by flying the aircraft to Moscow in March.
The Boeing has been in the United Arab Emirates since about March 4, 2022, and the Gulfstream has been in Russia since about March 15, 2022.
The sanctions require a license for any U.S.-made aircraft to fly to Russia. The sanctions also prohibit an aircraft that is owned, controlled or under charter or lease by a Russian national from being flown to Russia.
"No licenses were applied for or issued. Nor was any license exception available, including because the Boeing and the Gulfstream were each owned and/or controlled by a Russian national: Roman Abramovich," said the affidavit supporting a seizure warrant.
The Boeing plane is believed to be among the most expensive private aircraft in the world, worth $350 million, the affidavit said.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky
Biden announces additional $1B in military, $225M in humanitarian assistance
President Joe Biden has announced $1 billion more in U.S. military aid for Ukraine.
Biden said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday morning and that the aid will include "additional artillery and coastal defense weapons, as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems."
Biden also announced $225 million in humanitarian assistance "to help people inside Ukraine, including by supplying safe drinking water, critical medical supplies and health care, food, shelter, and cash for families to purchase essential items," according to a statement.
-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez