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 04, 2022, 11:56 AM EDT
ICRC team blocked from entering Mariupol again, 'being held' in nearby town
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday that its staff has been blocked again from entering Mariupol after failing to reach the besieged Ukrainian port city for several days.
In this photo taken in Irpin, Ukraine, on April 1, 2022, a vehicle belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is seen on a damaged street as the organization delivers food and first aid to residents.
ICRC via Reuters
An ICRC team tasked with escorting evacuation buses to and from Mariupol "was stopped on Monday while carrying out humanitarian efforts to help lead a safe passage corridor for civilians" and is now "being held in the town of Manhush," about 12 miles west of Mariupol, according to an ICRC spokesperson.
"The ICRC has been in direct contact with our colleagues and is speaking with the parties on all sides to bring clarity to the situation and allow them to resume their humanitarian work," the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
-ABC News' Brian Hartman
Apr 04, 2022, 11:37 AM EDT
Biden to call for more sanctions against Russia over Bucha 'war crimes'
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that he is seeking more sanctions against Russia after horrific images surfaced of dead civilians lying in the bombed-out streets of Bucha, Ukraine.
Upon his return to the White House from Fort McNair, Biden said he will call for more sanctions but stopped short of accusing Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine.
"I'm seeking more sanctions, yes," Biden said, declining to offer specifics when pressed.
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters upon arrival at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., April 4, 2022.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Biden described the situation in Bucha as "outrageous" and called Russian President Vladimir Putin "brutal."
"You may remember I got criticized for calling Putin a war criminal. Well, the truth of the matter -- you saw what happened in Bucha," Biden said. "This warrants he is a war criminal. But we have to gather the information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with weapons they need to continue the fight. And we have to gather all the details. So this could be an actual -- have a war-crime trial. This guy is brutal. And what's happening with Bucha is outrageous. And everyone sees it."
Ukrainian officials accused Russian troops of committing genocide in Bucha, which was retaken by Ukrainian forces in recent days. Ukrainian leaders said 410 civilians were killed in the fighting in Bucha and that many were found with their hands bound and shot at close range.
Asked if he thought Russia was committing genocide, Biden replied, "No, I think it is a war crime."
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
0:56
Biden on Putin: ‘This guy is brutal’President Biden spoke to reporters about the "outrageous" situation in Bucha, Ukraine, as horrific images emerge.
ABCNews.com
Apr 04, 2022, 10:22 AM EDT
Russia may launch major offensive in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region
The General Staff said it expects Russian forces to launch a possibly major offensive in the Donbas region within the next 24 hours, particularly against the city of Severodonetsk, which is the administrative center of the government-controlled areas of the Luhansk Oblast.
A man carries a little girl as he arrives with other families to board a train at Kramatorsk central station as they flee the eastern city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, in the Donbas region of Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko has urged civilians to evacuate now, even from areas not close to the front lines.
Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his recognition of two breakaway areas of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region that share a border with Russia -- the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics. Russia-backed separatist forces have controlled these parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhanks oblasts since 2014.
-ABC News' Yulia Drozd
Apr 04, 2022, 10:04 AM EDT
Zelenskyy visits bombed city of Bucha
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited on Monday the decimated city of Bucha, where Ukrainian officials have accused Russian troops of committing war crimes against civilians.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media in Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
Marko Djurica/Reuters
Zelenskyy toured the Kyiv suburb that was retaken by Ukrainian forces in recent days. Zelenskyy went to a road in the city littered with destroyed Russian equipment and he spoke to local residents.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tours the town of Bucha, just northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, April 4, 2022. President Zelenskyy said the Russian leadership was responsible for civilian killings in Bucha, where bodies were found lying in the street after the town was retaken by the Ukrainian army.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
Zelenskyy repeated accusations that Russia committed war crimes and genocide after Ukrainian officials said 410 people believed to have been civilians were found dead, many with their hands bound behind their backs and shot at close range.
Russian officials have denied the accusation and have requested the U.N. Security Council investigate.
