Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says 'certain positive movements' in negotiations

A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without any resolution.

Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

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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.
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Wedding held at Kyiv checkpoint

Amid the war in Ukraine, two members of the country's volunteer military forces got married in an outdoor ceremony dressed in camouflage and wearing helmets.

Lesia Ivashchenko and Valerii Fylymonov, both members of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, exchanged marriage vows at a checkpoint in Kyiv surrounded by fellow soldiers, some wearing bullet-proof vests.

The bride carried a bouquet of roses and wore a helmet over her white wedding veil. The bride's helmet was removed when she and the groom sealed the nuptials with a kiss.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the former World Boxing Organization's heavyweight champion, said he was able to greet the newlywed soldiers.

"They have been living in a civil marriage for a long time, and now they have decided to get married. The ceremony took place near one of the checkpoints set up at the entrances to Kyiv," Klitschko said on Twitter and included a video of the wedding.

Klitschko also noted that 457 babies have been born in the capital's maternity hospitals over the past 10 days.

"Life goes on!" Klitschko said. "And we will protect the life of Kyiv, Kyivites, our state!"

-ABC News' Julia Drozd


Management of Europe's largest nuclear power plant under orders of Russia

Management of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, is now operating under orders from the commander of the Russian forces that took control of the site last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that the Russian takeover of the plant violates an indispensable pillar of nuclear safety in which operating staff must be able to fulfill their safety and security duties and make decisions free of undue pressure.

The IAEA also said it has been informed by Ukraine's nuclear regulator that Russian forces have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through normal channels of communication. The regulator told the IAEA that staff operating at Zaporizhzhya are having major problems communicating outside of the plant because phone lines, email service and fax machines are no longer functioning.

Despite the communication issues, the regulator was able to provide updated information about the operational status of the Zaporizhzhya plant, confirming radiation levels there remain normal.

"I'm extremely concerned about these developments that were reported to me today. Just a few days after I presented the seven main elements of nuclear safety and security to the IAEA Board, several of them are already being compromised," Grossi said. "In order to be able to operate the plant safely and securely, management and staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions without undue external interference or pressure."

Grossi added, "The deteriorating situation regarding vital communications between the regulator and the Zaporizhzhya NPP is also a source of deep concern, especially during an armed conflict that may jeopardize the country’s nuclear facilities at any time. Reliable communications between the regulator and the operator are a critical part of overall nuclear safety and security."

The nuclear regulator also reported that it is having problems communicating with personnel at the decommissioned Chornobyl Nuclear Power plant, the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster, saying only email communication is possible for now. The staff of more than 200 technical personnel and guards have not been able to rotate since Feb 23.

ABC News' Christine Theodorou


UN human rights commission verifies 1,123 civilian casualties

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported Sunday that it has verified 1,123 civilian casualties in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of the country began on Feb. 24.

The OHCHR said the casualties include 364 civilians that have been killed, including 25 children. Another 759 civilians have been injured in the fighting, including 41 children, the OHCHR reported.

OHCHR said it is only reporting verified civilian casualties and acknowledged that the real figures are likely "considerably higher."

Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and airstrikes.

At least 503 of the civilian casualties have occurred in the heavily Russian-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk provinces of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, including 88 deaths. Another 374 civilian casualties, including 65 deaths, have occurred in the Ukrainian government-controlled areas of the Donbas region.

OHCHR reported that in other regions of Ukraine -- including the cities of Kyiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr -- 276 civilians have died and 344 have been injured.

ABC News' Christine Theodorou


Damaged gas pipeline in Mariupol leaves more than 750,000 without heat: Official

A Ukrainian lawmaker confirmed on Sunday that a gas pipeline was damaged in Mariupol, leaving more than 750,000 people in the second-largest city in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region without heat as temperatures plunged to 38 degrees.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk region administration, also confirmed Sunday's Mariupol civilian evacuation attempt failed after Russian troops shelled the city, breaking a temporary cease-fire agreement.

"It is extremely dangerous to take people out under such conditions," Kyrylenko wrote in a Facebook post.

Kyrylenko added that a column with a humanitarian cargo is headed to Mariupol from Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian lawmaker Inna Sovsun also tweeted a warning of a possible "humanitarian disaster" for nearly 1 million people in Mariupol. Sovsun expressed concern that people could freeze to death considering temperatures in the area often fall below zero this time of the year.

ABC News' Christine Theodorou


Russian missile hits Kyiv TV tower, killing at least 5

The tower that provides the main signal to TV and radio in Kyiv has been struck by a Russian missile, leaving at least five dead, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that the tower "is situated on the territory of Babyn Yar. On September 29-30, 1941, Nazis killed over 33 thousand Jews here. 80 years later, Russian Nazis strike this same land to exterminate Ukrainians. Evil and barbaric."

Ukraine's President President Volodymr Zelenskyy tweeted, "What is the point of saying «never again» for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least 5 killed. History repeating."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou