Russia-Ukraine updates: US sanctions Russian military shipbuilder, diamond miner

Russia's largest military shipbuilding and diamond mining firms were targeted.

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.

For previous coverage, please click here.

Two Men at War
Two Men at War
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.
Stream On Hulu

0

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


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.

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


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.

-ABC News' Ben Siegel


'Big Russian offensive' expected in Donbas: NATO SG

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Thursday that there's no indication of a Russian retreat. Instead, he said Russia is regrouping and repositioning forces to the east, warning that "a big Russian offensive" is expected in the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine.

Stoltenberg also warned that the war could last for "months and possibly also for years."

"If the war is going to drag on and be long, then the risk is first and foremost for the people of Ukraine," he said, acknowledging that as long as the war continues, there will be a risk of escalation beyond Ukraine.

"And that's exactly what NATO is focused on -- is to prevent that escalation," he said.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou


Fox News' Benjamin Hall provides 1st update since being severely injured in shelling

A Fox News reporter severely injured in a shelling in Ukraine last month that killed two other journalists tweeted for the first time Thursday to update his condition and pay tribute to his colleagues.

Fox News State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured in an attack in Gorenka, outside Kyiv, on March 14. Ukrainian producer and fixer Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova and Fox News cameraperson Pierre Zakrzewski were both killed after incoming fire hit their car.

"Its (sic) been over three weeks since the attack in Ukraine and I wanted to start sharing it all," Hall said. "But first I need to pay tribute to my colleagues Pierre and Sasha who didnt (sic) make it that day. Pierre and I traveled the world together, working was his joy and his joy was infectious."

Hall also shared a Fox News segment in which a Ukrainian parliament member paid tribute to Kuvshynova.

The journalist, who was initially treated at a German hospital before being transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, detailed his injuries in another tweet.

"To sum it up, I've lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other. One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown… but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here - and it is the people who got me here who are amazing!" he said.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan