Russia-Ukraine updates: Russian missiles hit close to nuclear reactors: IAEA director

Shelling is ongoing near the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: August 24, 2023, 10:20 AM EDT

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.
Jun 24, 2022, 9:01 AM EDT

Ukrainian forces to retreat from Severodonetsk

Ukrainian forces plan to retreat from the city of Severodonetsk, following weeks of fighting.

The local governor said Friday morning “it doesn’t make sense” to hold onto the city and “the number of people killed will increase every day," in a statement on Telegram.

PHOTO: People watch as a defused 500kg bomb that did not detonate when it landed on an apartment building in March, is lowered from the roof by members of a specialized team in the Saltivka neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, June 23, 2022.
People watch as a defused 500kg bomb that did not detonate when it landed on an apartment building in March, is lowered from the roof by members of a specialized team that defuses and removes explosives, bombs, mines and other munitions in the Saltivka neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, June 23, 2022.
Leah Millis/Reuters

The city has faced a heavy bombardment of rockets and street-to-street fighting between Ukrainian and Russia troops for weeks.

Ukrainian officials said nearly 90% of buildings in Severodonetsk have been destroyed.

It’s believed 8,000 civilians remain. At one point, hundreds of civilians sheltered in a chemical plant.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

Jun 23, 2022, 2:58 PM EDT

Ukraine granted candidate status for EU membership

The European Council has granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status for EU membership, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the announcement on Twitter, calling it a "unique and historical moment," adding, "Ukraine's future is within the EU."

It could take years for Ukraine to become an EU member. Five other countries that have been granted candidate status are currently negotiating their EU membership: Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.

Jun 23, 2022, 2:08 PM EDT

Russian forces advancing on Lysychansk in Luhansk region

Russian forces are advancing toward the city of Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region, putting the Lysychansk-Severodonetsk pocket "under increasing pressure," the British Defense Ministry said. Some Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lysychansk, "probably to avoid being encircled," the officials said.

A man walks in front of damaged residential building in the town of Lysychansk, June 21, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

The Ukrainian army claims Ukrainian soldiers stopped the Russian offensive in the southern outskirts of Lysychansk on Thursday, inflicting losses and forcing them to retreat, and that to resume the offensive, Russian forces put forward reserves.

-ABC News' Fidel Pavlenko

Jun 23, 2022, 1:05 PM EDT

$450 million military aid package to be announced

The U.S. is expected Thursday to announce a new $450 million military aid package that will include more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS.

PHOTO: Ukrainian soldiers move a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer into position to fire at Russian positions in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, June 18, 2022.
Ukrainian soldiers move a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer into position to fire at Russian positions in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, June 18, 2022. U.S. officials will send another $450 million in military aid to Ukraine.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP, FILE

Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov tweeted Thursday that the initial HIMARS package from the U.S. has arrived in Ukraine, and he thanked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for the "powerful tools."

The new aid package will include more small arms, grenade launchers, vehicles and patrol craft.

The U.S. has committed over $6 billion to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began, according to the Pentagon.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

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