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.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 26, 2022, 3:30 AM EDT
Russian strike traps Kyiv woman in rubble
Emergency responders in Kyiv are working to free a woman from the top floor of a residential building that was hit by a Russian strike on Sunday morning.
An advisor to the minister of the interior told ABC News that the woman, who is in her 30s, is alive and trapped in the rubble.
At least one civilian was killed in Sunday’s strike, local officials said. At least one other, a young girl, was rescued from the building in Shevchenkivskyi, a central district a few moments from the historic center of the city.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Jun 26, 2022, 2:55 AM EDT
Missiles strike central Kyiv residential neighborhood
A series of Russian missiles struck a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday morning, local officials said.
"Friends! Search and rescue operations are underway in a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district where a missile hit," Mayo Vitaliy Klychko said on Telegram. "There are people under the rubble. Some residents were evacuated, two victims were hospitalized. Rescuers continue to work, medics are on site."
Smoke rises over residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 26, 2022.
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
At least one residential building appeared to have had sections of its facade sheared off, photos from the scene showed. Emergency responders could be seen working on the upper floors of the building as smoke rose into the morning sky.
"Several explosions in the Shevchenkivskyi district," Klychko said. "Ambulance crews and rescuers on the spot. Residents are being rescued and evacuated in two houses."
Smoke rises over a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 26, 2022.
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
At least one missile was shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, Oleksiy Kuleba, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said on Telegram.
"The remains of the missile fell on the outskirts of one of the villages in the area," Kuleba said.
-ABC News' Natalia Kushnir
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.
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.
