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:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Apr 18, 2022, 6:28 AM EDT

Russian missile strikes kill at least 7 in Lviv

At least seven people were killed and 11 others, including a child, were injured Monday morning in missile strikes across the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to local officia;s.

Lviv Oblast Gov. Maksym Kozystkiy said at a press conference that Russian missiles struck four targets -- three Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities and a tire service shop -- all of which suffered significant damage.

In a statement via social media, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the missile strikes as "powerful," saying they damaged or destroyed about 40 cars. Emergency services were responding to the deadly blasts, according to Sadovyi.

Firefighters battle a blaze after a civilian building was hit by a Russian missile in Lviv, western Ukraine, on April 18, 2022.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

ABC News was at the scene of the burning tire service shop on the outskirts of Lviv, where firefighters were trying to extinguish the flames.

The strike also shattered the windows of a nearby orphanage as well as a hotel, where Sadovyi said evacuated Ukrainians are sheltering.

Lviv, a strategic city close to Ukraine's border with Poland, has been considered a safe haven for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. The city has been largely spared from the relentless bombardment and heavy fighting seen across much of the country since Feb. 24.

-ABC News' Brian Hartman, Max Uzol and Yuri Zaliznyak

Apr 18, 2022, 4:15 AM EDT

Mariupol besieged but not fallen, Ukrainian prime minister says

Mariupol has not yet fallen, despite Russia's demands that Ukrainian troops defending the besieged Ukrainian port city surrender, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

"There [are] still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight until the end," Shmyhal told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview Sunday on "This Week."

Mariupol is a strategic city for Moscow because it would allow Russian forces in the south to connect with troops in eastern Ukraine's contested Donbas region. It would also give Moscow a key port.

PHOTO: A resident looks at damage to an apartment building from heavy fighting near the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 16, 2022.
A resident looks at damage to an apartment building from heavy fighting near the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, the second largest metallurgical enterprise in Ukraine, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 16, 2022. Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of Azov, has been besieged by Russian troops and forces from self-proclaimed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine for more than six weeks.
Alexei Alexandrov/AP

Although Mariupol remains under the Ukrainian government's control, Shmyhal said the city's residents are suffering.

"They have no water, no food, no heat, no electricity," he said. "They ask all of our partners to support and help stop this humanitarian catastrophe."

-ABC News' Monica Dunn

Apr 18, 2022, 3:56 AM EDT

Russian commanders in Mariupol 'will be concerned,' UK says

Russian commanders in Mariupol "will be concerned by the time it is taking to subdue" the Ukrainian port city, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday in an intelligence update.

"Concerted Ukrainian resistance has severely tested Russian forces and diverted men and materiel, slowing Russia's advance elsewhere," the ministry said.

A Russian military convoy moves on a highway in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces near Mariupol, Ukraine, April 16, 2022.
Alexei Alexandrov/AP

Mariupol, a strategic port in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, has been under heavy Russian bombardment since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. Strong resistance from Ukrainian troops has prevented Russian forces from taking full control of the city.

Despite Russia's claims that it would not strike Ukrainian cities or threaten civilian lives, "the targeting of populated areas within Mariupol aligns with Russia's approach to Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016," according to the ministry.

"The effort to capture Mariupol has come at significant cost to its residents," the ministry added. "Large areas of infrastructure have been destroyed whilst the population has suffered significant casualties."

Apr 17, 2022, 8:25 PM EDT

Kharkiv mayor slams Russia for attacking on religious holiday

The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, lashed out at Russia for continuing its onslaught on the city despite it being Orthodox Palm Sunday.

"Dear Kharkiv citizens, today is the 53rd day of war, the war in which we are defending our lives and honor fighting against the ruthless army of the aggressor," Terekhov said in a recorded address translated from Russian by The Associated Press.

"And also today is a big Orthodox holiday, Palm Sunday. But it looks like those who wear the letter Z do not have a cross on them," he added, referring to the omnipresent letter painted on Russian tanks.

A priest blesses believers including service personnel during an Orthodox Palm Sunday service near Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on April 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and a key outpost in the country's east, has been under intense shelling for days. Several people were killed in attacks on Sunday.

"Even days that are sacred to Christians are no reason for the enemy to lessen bombardments on Kharkiv," Terekhov said.

PHOTO: People attend a Palm Sunday church service at a church on April 17, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
People attend a Palm Sunday church service at a church on April 17, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. After Russian forces retreated from areas around Kyiv, recent reports point to a new offensive as Russian forces are regrouping in the eastern part of the country bringing fears of an escalation of violence.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images

The vast majority of people in both Russia and Ukraine are Orthodox Christians. Holy Week began on Sunday with Easter coming on April 24. Many in Ukraine, including Kharkiv, celebrated Palm Sunday in bomb-damaged churches or buildings without electricity.

"I congratulate you all, my fellow Kharkiv citizens, with Palm Sunday, and on the eve of the Holy Week, I want to wish fortitude to all of us," Terekhov said. "The enemy is testing our resolve, let us show them that Kharkiv citizens will not be broken or intimidated."

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