Latest Russia-Ukraine updates: US to impose sanctions on Putin

The Russo-Ukrainian War[123][c] (also known as the Russia–Ukraine War[124][125]) is an ongoing war primarily involving Russia, Belarus, and pro-Russian forces on one side, and Ukraine on the other. Armed conflict began in February 2014 in the wake of Euromaidan, centred on the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas, which are internationally recognised as part of Ukraine. The conflict had included the Russian annexation of Crimea (2014), the Donbas War (2014–present), naval incidents, cyberwarfare, and political tensions. After Russian military buildups near Ukraine's borders in 2021,[126][127][128] Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022..

Which part of Ukraine is occupied by Russia?

Annexation of Crimea

Russia's decision to annex Crimea was made on 20 February 2014. On 22 and 23 February, Russian troops and special forces began moving into Crimea through Novorossiysk.

Following the Euromaidan protests and the subsequent removal of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February 2014, and amidst pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, Russian soldiers without insignias took control of strategic positions and infrastructure within the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. On 1 March 2014, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation unanimously adopted a resolution to petition Russian President Vladimir Putin to use military force in Ukraine.[133] The resolution was adopted several days later, after the start of the Russian military operation on the "Returning of Crimea". Russia then annexed Crimea after a widely criticised local referendum which was organised by Russia after the capturing of the Crimean Parliament whose outcome was for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to join the Russian Federation.[134][135][136][137] In April, demonstrations by pro-Russian groups in the Donbas area of Ukraine escalated into a war between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-backed separatist forces of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. In August, Russian military vehicles crossed the border in several locations of Donetsk Oblast.[142] The incursion by the Russian military was seen as responsible for the defeat of Ukrainian forces in early September.Is Kiev Russian or Ukrainian?

listen)) is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021 its population was 2,962,180 making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.

Russian assaults on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, have been met with fierce resistance as the Ukrainian military says it fought off several attacks.

The military said in a Facebook post early on Saturday that an army unit managed to repel Russian forces near its base on a major city street.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "The occupiers wanted to block the centre of our state... We broke their plan."

Meanwhile, fighting continues near several other Ukrainian cities.

A total of 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed since Russia invaded, said the country's Health Minister, Viktor Lyashko.

Russian forces are advancing towards Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as they continue their assault on the country.

Bloody battles have taken place nationwide on the second day of the Russian attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Ukraine’s military to remove the country’s government from power.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to resist Russia’s invasion.

The UN says more than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled to other countries since the fighting started.

Western powers have announced sweeping sanctions on Russia, including measures targeting Putin himself.

US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts have agreed to send thousands of troops, backed by air and naval support, to protect allies near Russia and Ukraine.

Live updates from on the ground

Where does Ukraine go from here?

Weapons now part of daily life

According to a report by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, a curfew will start in Kyiv at 17:00 (15:00 GMT) on Saturday and last until 08:00 on Monday.

In an address, Mr Zelensky said: "We are defending the country, the land of our future children. Kyiv and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army.

"The occupiers wanted to block the centre of our state and put their puppets here, as in Donetsk. We broke their plan."

In November 2014, the Ukrainian military reported intensive movement of troops and equipment from Russia into the separatist-controlled parts of the eastern Ukraine.[145] The Associated Press reported 40 unmarked military vehicles on the move in rebel-controlled areas.[146] The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission observed convoys of heavy weapons and tanks in DPR-controlled territory without insignia.[147] OSCE monitors further stated they observed vehicles transporting ammunition and soldiers' dead bodies crossing the Russian-Ukrainian border under the guise of humanitarian aid convoys.[148] As of early August 2015, OSCE observed over 21 such vehicles marked with the Russian military code for soldiers killed in action.[149] According to The Moscow Times, Russia has tried to intimidate and silence human rights workers discussing Russian soldiers' deaths in the conflict.[150] OSCE has reported that its observers were denied access to the areas controlled by "combined Russian-separatist forces".[151]

The majority of members of the international community[152][153][154] and organizations such as Amnesty International[155] have condemned Russia for its actions in post-revolutionary Ukraine, accusing it of breaking international law and violating Ukrainian sovereignty. Many countries implemented economic sanctions against Russia, Russian individuals or companies.[156]

In October 2015, The Washington Post reported that Russia has redeployed some of its elite units from Ukraine to Syria to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.[157] In December 2015, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin admitted that Russian military intelligence officers were operating in Ukraine, insisting though that they were not the same as regular troops.[158] In February 2019, 7% of Ukraine's territory was classified by the Ukrainian government as temporarily occupied territories.[159]