Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24 as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."
Russians moving from Belarus towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, don't appear to have advanced closer towards the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the U.S., Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting Russia's economy and Putin himself.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 27, 2022, 2:12 AM EST
At least 64 civilians killed in Ukraine, UN says
At least 64 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia began its invasion on Thursday, the United Nations said, warning the “figures could rise in the coming days.”
Another 176 civilians were injured in ground and aerial attacks, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report published Saturday.
A refugee fleeing the conflict from neighbouring Ukraine holds her baby as she sits in a tent at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Feb. 26, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru/AP
More than 150,000 people have fled Ukraine, with about half crossing into Poland, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, said on Twitter on Saturday.
“While the scale and scope of displacement will only likely become apparent in the coming days and weeks, Ukrainian authorities estimate that as many as 5 million people could flee the country, triggering a refugee crisis that will test response capacities in neighbouring countries,” OCHA said in its report.
Displacement within Ukraine is also growing, Grandi said, “but the military situation makes it difficult to estimate numbers and provide aid.”
-ABC News’ Kirit Radia
Feb 26, 2022, 10:23 PM EST
Protesters gather across the US to support Ukraine
Protests were held across the United States on Saturday as demonstrators called for Russian to cease its invasion of Ukraine.
Times Square in New York City was clogged with light blue and yellow, while Ukrainian supporters also rallied in Washington, Los Angeles and several other major cities Saturday.
New York City
Demonstrators embrace during a rally in support of Ukraine in Times Square, New York, on Feb. 26, 2022.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
Demonstrators gather in support of Ukraine during a rally in Times Square, New York, on Feb. 26, 2022.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
Washington, D.C.
People participate in a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in front of the White House to protest the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 26, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
A boy holds a Ukrainian flag as pro Ukrainian demonstrators gather in front of the White House to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 26, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Los Angeles
A Ukrainian protester holds a sign during a demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Los Angeles, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Ukrainians in the United States are praying for friends and family, donating money and supplies, and attending demonstrations.
Richard Vogel/AP
Denver
Vadim Kayrevich, a native of the Odessa region of the Ukraine, holds a placard during a protest against the invasion of Ukraine Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, outside the State Capitol in Denver.
David Zalubowski/AP
Seattle
Vadym Dragan of Seattle, originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, holds a Ukrainian flag at the foot of the Space Needle during a "Rally Against the War With Ukraine" event in Seattle, Washington on Feb. 26, 2022.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images
Feb 26, 2022, 8:24 PM EST
Elon Musk says he's activated Starlink in Ukraine
In response to a plea on Twitter from a Ukrainian official, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Saturday that his high-speed internet service Starlink is now active in Ukraine.
"More terminals en route," he tweeted in a reply to Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation.
Earlier Saturday, Fedorov appealed directly to Musk and asked him to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations.
The terminals are small, portable satellite dishes on Earth that connect directly to Starlink satellites in space -- providing high-speed internet to rural and hard-to-reach locations. This is especially important for areas that have already lost access and could potentially help them avoid cyberattacks.
-ABC News' Gio Benitez
Feb 26, 2022, 7:21 PM EST
US, other countries to disconnect some Russian banks from SWIFT
The White House announced further sanctions on Russia Saturday evening.
The U.S., along with the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, are disconnecting some Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) banking network and are "imposing restrictive measures that will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions," the White House said.
"This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally," the White House said in a statement.
The White House added, "We commit to taking measures to limit the sale of citizenship -- so called golden passports -- that let wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government become citizens of our countries and gain access to our financial systems."
The U.S. will also launch a trans-Atlantic task force "that will ensure the effective implementation of our financial sanctions by identifying and freezing the assets of sanctioned individuals and companies that exist within our jurisdictions."
On a call with reporters Saturday night, a senior administration official said the move to sanction the central bank will show that Russia's defense of claiming that sanctions don't hurt their economy "is a myth."
"The 600 billion-plus war chest of Russia's foreign reserves is only powerful if Putin can use it," the official said. "And without being able to buy the ruble from Western financial institutions, for example, Putin and the central bank will lose the ability to offset the impact of our sanctions. The ruble will fall even further, inflation will spike and the central bank will be left defenseless."
The Biden administration said it's also upping the fight against disinformation and "other forms of hybrid warfare."
Ukrainian tanks move on a road before an attack in Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine, Feb. 26, 2022.
