World

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

For previous coverage please click here.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 16, 12:38 pm
UN’s top court orders Russia to halt invasion

By a vote of 13-2, the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, made a preliminary ruling that Russia “shall immediately suspend military operations.”

The two votes against were from Russia and China.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted on Twitter, writing that “Russia must comply immediately.” But the ruling is mostly symbolic as the ICJ has no direct means to enforce it.

-ABC News’ Cindy Smith

Mar 16, 11:09 am
House and Senate leadership to receive classified briefings

House and Senate leadership, along with ranking members of relevant committees, will receive a classified briefing on the war in Ukraine following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s personal and emotional plea to Congress for more help.

The House briefing will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday and the Senate will follow at 3:30 p.m.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Mariam Khan

Mar 16, 10:49 am
Jake Sullivan warns of consequences if Russia uses chemical or biological weapons

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his Russian counterpart, Nikolay Patrushev, on Wednesday “to reiterate the United States’ firm and clear opposition to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.

She said Sullivan told Patrushev that Russia should stop attacking Ukraine if it’s serious about diplomacy and warned “about the consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.”

Horne said Sullivan “clearly laid out” that the U.S. will continue “imposing costs on Russia” as well as support Ukraine and defend NATO’s eastern flank.

This conversation marked the first high-level engagement between the U.S. and Russia since the Kremlin launched its war against Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez and Conor Finnegan

Mar 16, 10:43 am
Putin justifies invasion, says troops ‘doing everything possible’ to avoid harming civilians

In a speech Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely claimed that Russia’s military tactics have been “completely justified” and that Russian troops are “doing everything possible” to avoid harming Ukrainian civilians.

Putin sought to justify Russia’s invasion, claiming that all “diplomatic possibilities were exhausted” and Russia had “no choice” but to launch its operation. He claimed that the “appearance of Russian troops near Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities” is not connected “with a goal of occupying that country” and that it is about defusing a supposed threat to Russia.

-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Mar 16, 9:38 am
Zelenskyy asks Congress to back no-fly zone over Ukraine

In a virtual address to members of Congress Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the U.S. to back a no-fly zone over the war-torn country.

If a no-fly zone is not possible, Zelenskyy asked for aircraft “to help Ukraine.”

“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands” — a “terror” Europe hasn’t seen in 80 years, Zelenskyy said.

In an emotional appeal, Zelenskyy asked members of Congress to put themselves in the shoes of Ukrainians by remembering Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 attacks.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for U.S. involvement, but called on Congress to do more.

“New packages of sanctions are needed constantly … we propose that the United States sanction all politicians in the Russian Federation who remain in their offices and do not cut ties with those who are responsible for the aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

“Members of Congress, please take the lead. If you have companies in your districts who finance the Russian military machine… you should put pressure,” he said.

“The destiny of our country is being decided,” he said. “Russia has attacked not just us… it went on a brutal offensive against our values, basic human values.”

Zelenskyy received a standing ovation before and after his remarks.

But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that a no-fly zone “is escalatory and could prompt a war with Russia.”

“Providing the planes, our military did an assessment that’s based not just on the risk but whether it would have a huge benefit to them,” Psaki said. “They assessed it would not because they have their own squadron of planes and because the type of military assistance that is working to fight this war effectively is the type of assistance we’re already providing.”

Mar 16, 9:10 am
Fox News correspondent injured in Ukraine is safe, out of the country

Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was reporting in Ukraine when he was injured by incoming fire that killed two colleagues, is now safe and out of the country, according to the network.

Hall “is alert and said to be in good spirits,” Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer reported Wednesday.

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said. Zakrzewski was killed while Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.

Ukrainian producer and fixer, 24-year-old Oleksandra Kuvshynova, who was working for Fox News during the war, was also killed in the shelling, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Mar 16, 6:44 am
Russia claims Ukraine willing to give up NATO hopes

Russia’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Ukraine said on Wednesday Ukraine had proposed adopting a “neutral status,” along the lines of Austria or Sweden, that is a country that is not part of NATO but has its own military and close ties to the West, including European Union membership.

There has been no official confirmation from Ukraine, though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said in recent days that Ukraine understands it will not be allowed to join NATO.

“The preservation and development of the neutral status of Ukraine, its demilitarization Ukraine — a whole complex of questions connected with the size of the Ukrainian army,” Russia’s negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, was quoted as saying by Russian media. “Ukraine proposes the Austrian, Swedish option of a neutral demilitarised state, but within that a state possessing its own army and navy. All these questions are being discussed at the level of the leaderships of the ministry of defense of Russia and Ukraine.”

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, claimed on Wednesday that the negotiators in the fourth round of talks were discussing “concrete formulations” that are “close to agreement.”

An agreement that Ukraine wouldn’t seek to join NATO raises questions. Ukraine’s constitution includes a pledge to join the alliance that would likely need to be changed, which would be highly controversial.

If the Sweden-style status is acceptable to Russia that would also mean the Kremlin has significantly lowered its war aims. Ukraine was not close to joining NATO before the conflict and a commitment not to would be little more than affirming the status quo before Russia’s invasion.

“The goal pursued by Russia at these negotiations is exactly the same as the goal set by Russia at the very beginning of the special military operation,” Medinsky said. “We need a peaceful, free and independent Ukraine, a neutral one, not a member of some military blocs or a member of NATO, but a country that would be our friend and neighbor, so that we could jointly develop relations and build our future and that would not serve as a bridgehead for a military and economic attack on our country. So, our goal is unchanged.”

This is why “practically every digit or letter in the agreements” is being thoroughly discussed with the Ukrainian side, Medinsky said.

“We want this agreement to last for generations, so that our children live in peace, the foundation of which is laid by this negotiating process,” he said.

Russia is also pursuing other demands in the talks, including the recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and the Russian-controlled separatist regions as independent. They also want changes in laws giving more guarantees for Russian-speakers in Ukraine.

Mar 16, 6:34 am
Russian forces ‘struggling’ with terrain: UK military

Russia’s military forces are “struggling to overcome” Ukraine’s terrain as they attempt to push further into the country, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

“Russian forces have remained largely tied to Ukraine’s road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road manoeuvre,” the Ministry said in an update. “The destruction of bridges by Ukrainian forces has also played a key role in stalling Russia’s advance.”

Ukraine’s military has “adeptly exploited” Russia’s difficulty moving through the country, “frustrating the Russian advance and inflicting heavy losses on the invading forces,” the update said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Japan late Wednesday, triggering a tsunami threat and leaving more than 2 million households without electricity, officials said.

Preliminary reports put it at a 7.3 magnitude. The earthquake occurred just off the coast from Fukushima.

A tsunami threat was issued for the east coast of Honshu, Japan, by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based on preliminary earthquake parameters. The center warned of possible hazardous tsunami waves for coastal communities within 186 miles of the epicenter.

A tsunami is not expected in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia or Alaska, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.

Japan’s NHK World news service reported that the Tokyo area is under large power outages with more than 2 million households currently without power.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck around 11:36 p.m. local time and its epicenter was pinpointed about 20.5 miles below the sea.

In 2011, a strong earthquake struck in the same general area causing a tsunami and causing a nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Japan’s nuclear regulator reported Wednesday that preliminary information indicates no abnormalities at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 16, 6:44 am
Russia claims Ukraine willing to give up NATO hopes

Russia’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Ukraine said on Wednesday Ukraine had proposed adopting a “neutral status,” along the lines of Austria or Sweden, that is a country that is not part of NATO but has its own military and close ties to the West, including European Union membership.

There has been no official confirmation from Ukraine, though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said in recent days that Ukraine understands it will not be allowed to join NATO.

“The preservation and development of the neutral status of Ukraine, its demilitarization Ukraine — a whole complex of questions connected with the size of the Ukrainian army,” Russia’s negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, was quoted as saying by Russian media. “Ukraine proposes the Austrian, Swedish option of a neutral demilitarised state, but within that a state possessing its own army and navy. All these questions are being discussed at the level of the leaderships of the ministry of defense of Russia and Ukraine.”

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, claimed on Wednesday that the negotiators in the fourth round of talks were discussing “concrete formulations” that are “close to agreement.”

An agreement that Ukraine wouldn’t seek to join NATO raises questions. Ukraine’s constitution includes a pledge to join the alliance that would likely need to be changed, which would be highly controversial.

If the Sweden-style status is acceptable to Russia that would also mean the Kremlin has significantly lowered its war aims. Ukraine was not close to joining NATO before the conflict and a commitment not to would be little more than affirming the status quo before Russia’s invasion.

“The goal pursued by Russia at these negotiations is exactly the same as the goal set by Russia at the very beginning of the special military operation,” Medinsky said. “We need a peaceful, free and independent Ukraine, a neutral one, not a member of some military blocs or a member of NATO, but a country that would be our friend and neighbor, so that we could jointly develop relations and build our future and that would not serve as a bridgehead for a military and economic attack on our country. So, our goal is unchanged.”

This is why “practically every digit or letter in the agreements” is being thoroughly discussed with the Ukrainian side, Medinsky said.

“We want this agreement to last for generations, so that our children live in peace, the foundation of which is laid by this negotiating process,” he said.

Russia is also pursuing other demands in the talks, including the recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and the Russian-controlled separatist regions as independent. They also want changes in laws giving more guarantees for Russian-speakers in Ukraine.

Mar 16, 6:34 am
Russian forces ‘struggling’ with terrain: UK military

Russia’s military forces are “struggling to overcome” Ukraine’s terrain as they attempt to push further into the country, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

“Russian forces have remained largely tied to Ukraine’s road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road manoeuvre,” the Ministry said in an update. “The destruction of bridges by Ukrainian forces has also played a key role in stalling Russia’s advance.”

Ukraine’s military has “adeptly exploited” Russia’s difficulty moving through the country, “frustrating the Russian advance and inflicting heavy losses on the invading forces,” the update said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Nearly three weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, more than three million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes seeking safety. And while the number of refugees who have left the country has risen at a staggering rate, many others, like Nina Sideleva, have sought safety in the Western part of Ukraine.

Sideleva is a mother of two from Kyiv, who said before Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine, she was just like anyone else.

“I had a family, I have kids, I went to my job,” she told ABC News’ Start Here podcast, with her brother Alex Sidelev aiding in translation. “We lived a regular life with our plans, with our dreams for the future.”

Like many Ukrainians, Sideleva said she didn’t believe the reality of war would come so close to her family’s home. But on Feb. 25, when she saw so many others in the capital city fleeing their homes for bomb shelters, it began to feel real.

Initially, she hoped to stay in Kyiv with her children, husband and parents. But in the early days of the Russian invasion, one of the blasts killed Sideleva’s former boss. His death left Sideleva no choice.

“I need to leave my parents and save my kids,” she said.

All Ukrainian men of fighting age are now required to stay in the country, so Sideleva’s husband decided to remain in Kyiv to keep her parents safe. Through tears, Sideleva described what could be her final goodbye to her husband.

“I promised that we are going to see each other soon,” she said at the time.

“But she thinks that she doesn’t know anymore,” Sidelev said, describing how the horrors of the ongoing war have shaken his sister’s vow.

Sideleva’s escape took her and her sons on a lengthy train trip, arriving first in Lviv, and later traveling to Vyzhnytsia, a smaller town near the Romanian border. And while she was greeted by a large number of people prepared to provide help to people arriving from cities farther east, Sideleva said she struggles with accepting that assistance.

“It is difficult to think that she needs help because she feels that she can care about herself,” her brother told ABC News. “But it needs to have settled in her mind that it’s she needs help and people are helping her out while she wants to have everything back to normal.”

Now, staying with people she knows in Vyzhnytsia, Sideleva feels safe, but knows that feeling could vanish as quickly as it did in Kyiv.

Sidelev, who works as a structural engineer in New York City, said hearing his younger sister’s story left him feeling desperate and powerless, and that his ultimate dream is to be with his family.

“Every time I wake up, I want to wake up from reality, I want to wake up in a world with no war in Ukraine,” he said.

For now, Sideleva and her children feel safe in Vyzhnytsia, with plans to celebrate one son’s 10th birthday there. While it’s not how any of them wanted to celebrate, she says, it is the best place for them to be right now.

Still, she knows she must remain ready in case the terror of war approaches her current reprieve. If that does happen, Sideleva said she would want to be with her brother in the United States.

“The only family member who she knows outside of Ukraine, any country, it’s only me,” Sidelev said. “I’m her brother. And she says that I want to be with my brother if I need to leave the country. I want to be with my family member.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed on Tuesday that the number of Ukrainians who have fled to neighboring countries, including Poland, Moldova and Romania, has surpassed three million. The agency estimates that the war has internally displaced an additional two million people.

The fog of war leaves so much of what comes next in doubt. But Sideleva said she holds out hope for her country to remain a sovereign democracy, as it has been since the fall of the Soviet Union.

“I am a Ukrainian citizen. It’s my motherland. I want to be free. I don’t want Russia here. I really want to be free in my motherland, I want to be in Ukraine,” she said.

That is a sentiment Sidelev echoes, saying, “Ukraine is our land. We don’t need any of this. We don’t need to go through all of this. It means we are Ukrainian, we want to be free in Ukraine. We don’t need Russian involvement.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

For previous coverage please click here.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 15, 9:55 pm
Biden to announce $800M in new military assistance to Ukraine: Source

President Joe Biden is planning to announce $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The new assistance includes anti-armor and anti-aircraft weapons, the source told ABC News.

The funding is part of a $13.6 billion aid package to Ukraine that was included in the $1.5 trillion government spending bill that Biden signed into law Tuesday.

The law designates that $3.5 billion of the Ukrainian aid package go toward weapons, but leaves the exact military equipment and weaponry up to the administration. Biden is expected to provide more details Wednesday on how the $800 million will be spent.

Mar 15, 8:00 pm
EU leaders who came to Kyiv took a ‘courageous’ step: Zelenskyy

After meeting with the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia in Kyiv on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the European Union leaders took a “courageous, right” step.

“They are not afraid of anything. And they are more afraid for our fate. And they are here to support us,” Zelenskyy said in a video posted to Facebook.

“We absolutely trust these friendly countries,” he later said.

The leaders — Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski — traveled to the Ukrainian capital on a European Union mission to show support for the country.

In another video, Zelenskyy said their visit was a “strong sign of support.”

The meeting’s “top agenda” was “international assistance and reconstruction of Ukraine,” according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The leaders are working together “to ensure that the funds & property of the Russian Federation will be paid to Ukraine to restore everything destroyed by [the Russian] aggressor,” he said on Twitter.

-ABC News’ Matt Foster

Mar 15, 6:23 pm
US providing another $186M in humanitarian aid for Ukraine

The U.S. will provide an additional $186 million in humanitarian assistance to support Ukrainians displaced by the war, including those in the country and refugees who have fled, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday.

The funding, which brings the total U.S. assistance since the invasion began to $293 million, will support “food, safe drinking water, protection, accessible shelter and emergency health care,” he said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development are not directly providing this assistance but are working through international and non-governmental partners.

Russian bombardment and shelling continue to damage roads, bridges and railroads in Ukraine, making it difficult for aid workers to reach people in need, according to a senior administration official, who warned the situation is “rapidly getting worse.”

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 5:18 pm
Thousands of civilians evacuate Mariupol during pause in attacks

A pause in Russian attacks on the besieged city of Mariupol has allowed for around 20,000 people to evacuate after almost two weeks of continuous bombardment, Ukrainian authorities said.

About 4,000 private vehicles were able to get civilians out of the city on Tuesday, according to Kirilo Timoshenko, an official from Ukraine’s presidential office. Of those, around 570 have reached the safer city of Zaporizhzhia to the north.

This is in addition to the 160 private vehicles that evacuated residents during a lull on Monday.

Some 300,000 people had been estimated to be trapped in the city. Russian attacks impeded previous efforts to get civilians out and to allow for humanitarian supplies to be brought in.

The Mariupol City Council reported Sunday that 2,187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Vereschuk said last week that the city was “beyond a humanitarian disaster,” with most roads destroyed, little communication with the outside and no power, gas or heat.

Mar 15, 4:47 pm
4th round of Ukraine-Russia talks to resume Wednesday

The fourth round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian leaders will resume on Wednesday, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

Podolyak called it a “very difficult” process with “fundamental contradictions,” but added, “there is certainly room for compromise.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Tuesday declined to say whether the department was optimistic about the talks, but said the U.S. hasn’t seen any action from the Kremlin to demonstrate “good faith.”

“We have yet to find a Russian interlocutor that is either able or willing to negotiate in good faith, and certainly not in the context of de-escalation,” he said.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan and Christine Theodorou

Mar 15, 3:50 pm
Food shortage ‘could be hell on Earth’

David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, is sounding the alarm about a global food shortage for the world’s most vulnerable populations if the war in Ukraine doesn’t end soon.

“You’re talking about the breadbasket of the world where we buy 50% of our grain from Ukraine. And so with the farmers on the battlefront, when it’s harvest time and planting time, it’s going to wreak havoc not just inside Ukraine, but worldwide,” Beasley told ABC News.

Before the war broke out, Beasley said climate, the pandemic and supply chain issues had already increased costs by millions, reduced available food and forced the WFP to cut distribution around the world.

“In the next nine months, if we don’t end this war quickly, it could be hell on Earth,” Beasley said.

-ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, Sam Sweeney

Mar 15, 3:30 pm
Fox News cameraman killed in Ukraine

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski has been killed in Ukraine, according to Fox News.

Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with correspondent Benjamin Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said.

Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.

“Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field – photographer, engineer, editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill,” a statement from Fox News PR said. “He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend. We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family.”

Ukrainian producer and fixer, 24-year-old Oleksandra Kuvshynova, who was working for Fox News during the war, was also killed in the shelling, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Mar 15, 1:42 pm
Refugee numbers reach 3 million

Over 3 million refugees have now fled Ukraine, according to Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Over 1.5 million of those refugees are children, according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.

Mar 15, 1:26 pm
Thousands of civilians evacuate Mariupol during pause in attacks

A pause in Russian attacks on the besieged city of Mariupol has allowed for about 2,000 private vehicles to evacuate civilians on Tuesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said.

This is in addition to the 160 private vehicles that evacuated residents during a lull on Monday.

Russian attacks impeded previous efforts to get civilians out and to allow for humanitarian supplies to be brought in. The Mariupol City Council reported Sunday that 2,187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Vereschuk said last week that the city was “beyond a humanitarian disaster,” with most roads destroyed, little communication with the outside and no power, gas or heat.

Mar 15, 1:14 pm
NATO leaders to meet March 24

NATO leaders will meet on March 24 to address the Russian invasion, NATO’s “strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 1:06 pm
Russian TV anti-war protester fined and released

Anti-war protester Marina Ovsyannikova has been fined and released after crashing a Russian state news broadcast.

She told reporters she was interrogated for more than 14 hours and said she’d provide more comments on Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Mar 15, 12:16 pm
Fox News cameraman killed in Ukraine

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski has been killed in Ukraine, according to Fox News.

Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with correspondent Benjamin Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said.

Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.

“Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field – photographer, engineer, editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill,” a statement from Fox News PR said. “He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend. We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family.”

Mar 15, 11:34 am
US, EU, UK expand sanctions targeting Russia

The European Union Council on Tuesday imposed a fourth package of economic and individual sanctions, including restricting the export of luxury goods to Russia and banning new investments in Russia’s energy sector.

Sanctions also target “key oligarchs, lobbyist and propagandists pushing the Kremlin’s narrative on the situation in Ukraine,” the Council said in a statement.

“The aim of the sanctions is that President Putin stops this inhuman and senseless war,” Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement.

The United Kingdom is expanding sanctions targeting over 300 people including former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and oligarchs with an estimated worth of more than $94 billion.

The U.S. is also expanding sanctions, including against Russian Ministry of Defense officials.

The State Department is also implementing a new visa ban policy against Russian officials who have “cracked down on Russian citizens who have taken to the streets to protest their government’s brutal campaign in Ukraine” and “are responsible for suppressing dissent in occupied areas of Ukraine.”

In retaliation for sanctions from the U.S., Russia’s foreign ministry has announced personal sanctions against President Joe Biden and many top administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The sanctions also target Biden’s son, Hunter, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou, Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 7:51 am
Two killed in strike on Kyiv neighborhood

Two people were killed on Tuesday morning after Russian forces shelled residential areas in Kyiv, officials said.

The sound of large explosions echoed across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes. The shelling ignited a huge fire and a frantic rescue effort in the Svyatoshyn neighborhood.

Shockwaves from an explosion also damaged the entry to a downtown subway station that has been used as a bomb shelter. City authorities tweeted an image of the blown-out facade, saying trains would no longer stop at the station.

Mar 15, 5:51 am
Residents protest in Russian-occupied cities: UK military

Residents of Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk, cities occupied by Russian forces, have held “multiple” demonstrations protesting the occupation, the U.K. Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Protests in Kherson came as Russia may be making plans for a “referendum” to legitimize the region as a Russian-backed “breakaway republic,” similar to Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, the Ministry said.

“Further protests were reported in the city yesterday with Russian forces reportedly firing warning shots in an attempt to disperse peaceful protesters,” the Ministry said.

Russia is likely to “make further attempts to subvert Ukrainian democracy,” the update said.

“Russia has reportedly installed its own mayor in Melitopol following the alleged abduction of his predecessor on Friday 11 March,” the update said. “Subsequently, the Mayor of Dniprorudne has also reportedly been abducted by Russian forces.”

Mar 14, 9:56 pm
Latest talks with Russia went ‘pretty good,’ will continue tomorrow, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy updated the status of negotiations with Russia in his latest address Monday, saying the latest talks went “pretty good” and will continue tomorrow.

Zelenskyy also addressed Russian troops, telling them they would be treated “decently” should they surrender.

“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I give you a chance — chance to survive,” Zelenskyy said. “You surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated. As people, decently.”

Zelenskyy also thanked the producer at a Russian state news channel who appeared on camera behind an anchor and held up an anti-war sign. She was later arrested.

“I am grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to convey the truth,” he said. “To those who fight disinformation and tell the truth, real facts to their friends and loved ones. And personally to the woman who entered the studio of Channel One with a poster against the war.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

For previous coverage please click here.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 15, 8:19 pm
Biden to announce $800M in new military assistance to Ukraine: Source

President Joe Biden is planning to announce $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The new assistance includes anti-armor and anti-aircraft weapons, the source told ABC News.

-ABC Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega

Mar 15, 8:00 pm
EU leaders who came to Kyiv took a ‘courageous’ step: Zelenskyy

After meeting with the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia in Kyiv on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the European Union leaders took a “courageous, right” step.

“They are not afraid of anything. And they are more afraid for our fate. And they are here to support us,” Zelenskyy said in a video posted to Facebook.

“We absolutely trust these friendly countries,” he later said.

The leaders — Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski — traveled to the Ukrainian capital on a European Union mission to show support for the country.

In another video, Zelenskyy said their visit was a “strong sign of support.”

The meeting’s “top agenda” was “international assistance and reconstruction of Ukraine,” according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The leaders are working together “to ensure that the funds & property of the Russian Federation will be paid to Ukraine to restore everything destroyed by [the Russian] aggressor,” he said on Twitter.

-ABC News’ Matt Foster

Mar 15, 6:23 pm
US providing another $186M in humanitarian aid for Ukraine

The U.S. will provide an additional $186 million in humanitarian assistance to support Ukrainians displaced by the war, including those in the country and refugees who have fled, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday.

The funding, which brings the total U.S. assistance since the invasion began to $293 million, will support “food, safe drinking water, protection, accessible shelter and emergency health care,” he said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development are not directly providing this assistance but are working through international and non-governmental partners.

Russian bombardment and shelling continue to damage roads, bridges and railroads in Ukraine, making it difficult for aid workers to reach people in need, according to a senior administration official, who warned the situation is “rapidly getting worse.”

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 5:18 pm
Thousands of civilians evacuate Mariupol during pause in attacks

A pause in Russian attacks on the besieged city of Mariupol has allowed for around 20,000 people to evacuate after almost two weeks of continuous bombardment, Ukrainian authorities said.

About 4,000 private vehicles were able to get civilians out of the city on Tuesday, according to Kirilo Timoshenko, an official from Ukraine’s presidential office. Of those, around 570 have reached the safer city of Zaporizhzhia to the north.

This is in addition to the 160 private vehicles that evacuated residents during a lull on Monday.

Some 300,000 people had been estimated to be trapped in the city. Russian attacks impeded previous efforts to get civilians out and to allow for humanitarian supplies to be brought in.

The Mariupol City Council reported Sunday that 2,187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Vereschuk said last week that the city was “beyond a humanitarian disaster,” with most roads destroyed, little communication with the outside and no power, gas or heat.

Mar 15, 4:47 pm
4th round of Ukraine-Russia talks to resume Wednesday

The fourth round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian leaders will resume on Wednesday, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

Podolyak called it a “very difficult” process with “fundamental contradictions,” but added, “there is certainly room for compromise.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Tuesday declined to say whether the department was optimistic about the talks, but said the U.S. hasn’t seen any action from the Kremlin to demonstrate “good faith.”

“We have yet to find a Russian interlocutor that is either able or willing to negotiate in good faith, and certainly not in the context of de-escalation,” he said.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan and Christine Theodorou

Mar 15, 3:50 pm
Food shortage ‘could be hell on Earth’

David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, is sounding the alarm about a global food shortage for the world’s most vulnerable populations if the war in Ukraine doesn’t end soon.

“You’re talking about the breadbasket of the world where we buy 50% of our grain from Ukraine. And so with the farmers on the battlefront, when it’s harvest time and planting time, it’s going to wreak havoc not just inside Ukraine, but worldwide,” Beasley told ABC News.

Before the war broke out, Beasley said climate, the pandemic and supply chain issues had already increased costs by millions, reduced available food and forced the WFP to cut distribution around the world.

“In the next nine months, if we don’t end this war quickly, it could be hell on Earth,” Beasley said.

-ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, Sam Sweeney

Mar 15, 3:30 pm
Fox News cameraman killed in Ukraine

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski has been killed in Ukraine, according to Fox News.

Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with correspondent Benjamin Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said.

Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.

“Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field – photographer, engineer, editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill,” a statement from Fox News PR said. “He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend. We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family.”

Ukrainian producer and fixer, 24-year-old Oleksandra Kuvshynova, who was working for Fox News during the war, was also killed in the shelling, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Mar 15, 1:42 pm
Refugee numbers reach 3 million

Over 3 million refugees have now fled Ukraine, according to Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Over 1.5 million of those refugees are children, according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.

Mar 15, 1:26 pm
Thousands of civilians evacuate Mariupol during pause in attacks

A pause in Russian attacks on the besieged city of Mariupol has allowed for about 2,000 private vehicles to evacuate civilians on Tuesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said.

This is in addition to the 160 private vehicles that evacuated residents during a lull on Monday.

Russian attacks impeded previous efforts to get civilians out and to allow for humanitarian supplies to be brought in. The Mariupol City Council reported Sunday that 2,187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Vereschuk said last week that the city was “beyond a humanitarian disaster,” with most roads destroyed, little communication with the outside and no power, gas or heat.

Mar 15, 1:14 pm
NATO leaders to meet March 24

NATO leaders will meet on March 24 to address the Russian invasion, NATO’s “strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 1:06 pm
Russian TV anti-war protester fined and released

Anti-war protester Marina Ovsyannikova has been fined and released after crashing a Russian state news broadcast.

She told reporters she was interrogated for more than 14 hours and said she’d provide more comments on Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Mar 15, 12:16 pm
Fox News cameraman killed in Ukraine

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski has been killed in Ukraine, according to Fox News.

Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with correspondent Benjamin Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said.

Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.

“Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field – photographer, engineer, editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill,” a statement from Fox News PR said. “He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend. We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family.”

Mar 15, 11:34 am
US, EU, UK expand sanctions targeting Russia

The European Union Council on Tuesday imposed a fourth package of economic and individual sanctions, including restricting the export of luxury goods to Russia and banning new investments in Russia’s energy sector.

Sanctions also target “key oligarchs, lobbyist and propagandists pushing the Kremlin’s narrative on the situation in Ukraine,” the Council said in a statement.

“The aim of the sanctions is that President Putin stops this inhuman and senseless war,” Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement.

The United Kingdom is expanding sanctions targeting over 300 people including former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and oligarchs with an estimated worth of more than $94 billion.

The U.S. is also expanding sanctions, including against Russian Ministry of Defense officials.

The State Department is also implementing a new visa ban policy against Russian officials who have “cracked down on Russian citizens who have taken to the streets to protest their government’s brutal campaign in Ukraine” and “are responsible for suppressing dissent in occupied areas of Ukraine.”

In retaliation for sanctions from the U.S., Russia’s foreign ministry has announced personal sanctions against President Joe Biden and many top administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The sanctions also target Biden’s son, Hunter, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou, Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 7:51 am
Two killed in strike on Kyiv neighborhood

Two people were killed on Tuesday morning after Russian forces shelled residential areas in Kyiv, officials said.

The sound of large explosions echoed across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes. The shelling ignited a huge fire and a frantic rescue effort in the Svyatoshyn neighborhood.

Shockwaves from an explosion also damaged the entry to a downtown subway station that has been used as a bomb shelter. City authorities tweeted an image of the blown-out facade, saying trains would no longer stop at the station.

Mar 15, 5:51 am
Residents protest in Russian-occupied cities: UK military

Residents of Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk, cities occupied by Russian forces, have held “multiple” demonstrations protesting the occupation, the U.K. Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Protests in Kherson came as Russia may be making plans for a “referendum” to legitimize the region as a Russian-backed “breakaway republic,” similar to Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, the Ministry said.

“Further protests were reported in the city yesterday with Russian forces reportedly firing warning shots in an attempt to disperse peaceful protesters,” the Ministry said.

Russia is likely to “make further attempts to subvert Ukrainian democracy,” the update said.

“Russia has reportedly installed its own mayor in Melitopol following the alleged abduction of his predecessor on Friday 11 March,” the update said. “Subsequently, the Mayor of Dniprorudne has also reportedly been abducted by Russian forces.”

Mar 14, 9:56 pm
Latest talks with Russia went ‘pretty good,’ will continue tomorrow, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy updated the status of negotiations with Russia in his latest address Monday, saying the latest talks went “pretty good” and will continue tomorrow.

Zelenskyy also addressed Russian troops, telling them they would be treated “decently” should they surrender.

“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I give you a chance — chance to survive,” Zelenskyy said. “You surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated. As people, decently.”

Zelenskyy also thanked the producer at a Russian state news channel who appeared on camera behind an anchor and held up an anti-war sign. She was later arrested.

“I am grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to convey the truth,” he said. “To those who fight disinformation and tell the truth, real facts to their friends and loved ones. And personally to the woman who entered the studio of Channel One with a poster against the war.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MOSCOW) — Marina Ovsyannikova, the woman who crashed Russia’s state news broadcast Monday night to protest the war, was fined 30 thousand roubles, or around $280, and released on Tuesday.

Ovsyannikova ran onto the set of Russia’s main state news broadcast with an anti-war sign. She stood behind the anchor on the Channel One show with a sign that said “Stop the war” and “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here,” in English and Russian.

Ovsyannikova worked as an editor for Channel One, according to Russian human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov, who said he is now representing her.

Ovsyannikova appeared in a court in Moscow after her lawyers said they had been unable to locate her since she disappeared at the TV station.

“These were really difficult days in my life. I spent two days without sleep. The interrogation lasted more than 14 hours. I was not allowed to contact my friends and relatives. I was not provided with any legal assistance,” Ovsyannikova told reporters outside the courthouse. “I will give more comments tomorrow. Today I want to rest.”

Ovsyannikova is charged with an “administrative offense,” essentially a misdemeanor, that carries a fine but not a jail sentence, according to a reporter from the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

In English, Ovsyannikova answered a question outside the courtroom and said it wasn’t a surprise she was released since she has two children. Russian law means that, in general, mothers with dependent children should not be placed in detention for minor offenses.

Chikov wrote on Twitter that Ovsyannikova was detained after the protest and taken to a police station in Moscow. He said she has been charged with “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.”

Novaya Gazeta said the court has told it Ovsyannikova is charged under Part 2 Article 20.2 — “organizing unauthorized public events” — which means she would face at most 15 days in jail and a fine.

She is not charged under Russia’s new “fake news” law that carries up to 15 years prison for spreading “false” information about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ovsyannikova also published a video online before her protest in which she explained her motivations for protesting. She said she has worked for the last few years for Channel One and that she is now “very ashamed” of working for “Kremlin propaganda.”

“I am ashamed that I allowed lies to be spoken from the TV screen. I am ashamed that I allowed the zombification of Russian people. Now ten generations of our descendants won’t wash off the disgrace of this fratricidal war. We’re Russian people, thinking, intelligent. It’s only in our power to stop this insanity,” she said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — The mass execution of 81 people in one day by Saudi Arabia, condemned by activist groups as a “massacre,” has prompted fresh fears that the kingdom’s human rights record will once again be overlooked amid the global energy crisis.

Saudi Arabia’s ministry of interior said the men had been convicted of a wide range of crimes, from murder to membership of foreign terrorist organizations.

“Criminal groups have strayed from the path of truth, replaced it by desires, and followed the footsteps of Satan,” the interior ministry said in a statement. “This country … will not fail to deter anyone who threatens its security and the security of its citizens and residents.”

Amnesty International has led the calls for Saudi Arabia to abolish the death penalty in the wake of the mass execution, with some of the men executed for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests.

“This execution spree is all the more chilling in light of Saudi Arabia’s deeply flawed justice system, which metes out death sentences following trials that are grossly and blatantly unfair, including basing verdicts on “confessions” extracted under torture or other ill-treatment,” Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Saturday’s executions brought the country’s tally of executions to 92 this year, according to Amnesty International. The mass execution alone surpassed the total number of 67 executions that reportedly took place in 2021, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Legal charity Reprieve said all those executed “were tried, convicted, sentenced and executed in complete secrecy.”

“Of the dozen cases we do know about, at least a quarter were tortured into making false confessions to terrorism offenses after taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations,” Reprieve director Maya Foa told ABC News.

The Saudi ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Just days after the mass execution, which prompted international condemnation, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is traveling to Saudi Arabia amid concerns about the global energy supply following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Johnson will meet with leaders in the UAE before traveling to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Wednesday.

“The U.K. is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face,” the prime minister said in advance of the visit. “The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin’s addiction to oil and gas. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort. We will work with them to ensure regional security, support the humanitarian relief effort and stabilize global energy markets for the longer term.”

Asked about the executions ahead of Johnson’s trip on Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson told ABC News: “The U.K. is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country as a matter of principle. The government will be raising this with the authorities in Saudi Arabia.”

Reprieve, however, warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could cause world leaders to turn a blind eye at Saudi Arabia’s latest human rights violations for the sake of securing lower fuel prices.

“Mohammed Bin Salman is betting that the West will look away because it would rather fund his blood-soaked petro-state than Putin’s war machine,” Reprieve’s Foa said.

Michelle Bachelet of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said investigations of the execution “indicate that some of those executed were sentenced to death following trials that did not meet fair trial and due process guarantees, and for crimes that did not appear to meet the most serious crimes threshold, as required under international law.”

She expressed concerns that Saudi Arabia’s “extremely broad definition of terrorism, including non-violent acts” leads to “criminalizing people exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

The 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, as well as theongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, exacerbated by the war between the kingdom and Iran-backed Houthi rebels, have prompted renewed calls from human rights groups to reconsider the West’s historic alliance with Saudi Arabia.

“We must not show our revulsion for Vladimir Putin’s atrocities by rewarding those of Mohammed Bin Salman,” Foa said. “Striking a deal with Saudi Arabia now, despite this mass execution, would virtually guarantee that more people whose only crime was to challenge the status quo will be executed.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

For previous coverage please click here.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 15, 1:42 pm
Refugee numbers reach 3 million

Over 3 million refugees have now fled Ukraine, according to Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Over 1.5 million of those refugees are children, according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.

Mar 15, 1:26 pm
Thousands of civilians evacuate Mariupol during pause in attacks

A pause in Russian attacks on the besieged city of Mariupol has allowed for about 2,000 private vehicles to evacuate civilians on Tuesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said.

This is in addition to the 160 private vehicles that evacuated residents during a lull on Monday.

Russian attacks impeded previous efforts to get civilians out and to allow for humanitarian supplies to be brought in. The Mariupol City Council reported Sunday that 2,187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Vereschuk said last week that the city was “beyond a humanitarian disaster,” with most roads destroyed, little communication with the outside and no power, gas or heat.

Mar 15, 1:14 pm
NATO leaders to meet March 24

NATO leaders will meet on March 24 to address the Russian invasion, NATO’s “strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 1:06 pm
Russian TV anti-war protester fined and released

Anti-war protester Marina Ovsyannikova has been fined and released after crashing a Russian state news broadcast.

She told reporters she was interrogated for more than 14 hours and said she’d provide more comments on Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Mar 15, 12:16 pm
Fox News cameraman killed in Ukraine

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski has been killed in Ukraine, according to Fox News.

Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with correspondent Benjamin Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said.

Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.

“Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field – photographer, engineer, editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill,” a statement from Fox News PR said. “He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend. We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family.”

Mar 15, 11:34 am
US, EU, UK expand sanctions targeting Russia

The European Union Council on Tuesday imposed a fourth package of economic and individual sanctions, including restricting the export of luxury goods to Russia and banning new investments in Russia’s energy sector.

Sanctions also target “key oligarchs, lobbyist and propagandists pushing the Kremlin’s narrative on the situation in Ukraine,” the Council said in a statement.

“The aim of the sanctions is that President Putin stops this inhuman and senseless war,” Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement.

The United Kingdom is expanding sanctions targeting over 300 people including former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and oligarchs with an estimated worth of more than $94 billion.

The U.S. is also expanding sanctions, including against Russian Ministry of Defense officials.

The State Department is also implementing a new visa ban policy against Russian officials who have “cracked down on Russian citizens who have taken to the streets to protest their government’s brutal campaign in Ukraine” and “are responsible for suppressing dissent in occupied areas of Ukraine.”

In retaliation for sanctions from the U.S., Russia’s foreign ministry has announced personal sanctions against President Joe Biden and many top administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The sanctions also target Biden’s son, Hunter, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou, Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Conor Finnegan

Mar 15, 7:51 am
Two killed in strike on Kyiv neighborhood

Two people were killed on Tuesday morning after Russian forces shelled residential areas in Kyiv, officials said.

The sound of large explosions echoed across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes. The shelling ignited a huge fire and a frantic rescue effort in the Svyatoshyn neighborhood.

Shockwaves from an explosion also damaged the entry to a downtown subway station that has been used as a bomb shelter. City authorities tweeted an image of the blown-out facade, saying trains would no longer stop at the station.

Mar 15, 5:51 am
Residents protest in Russian-occupied cities: UK military

Residents of Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk, cities occupied by Russian forces, have held “multiple” demonstrations protesting the occupation, the U.K. Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Protests in Kherson came as Russia may be making plans for a “referendum” to legitimize the region as a Russian-backed “breakaway republic,” similar to Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, the Ministry said.

“Further protests were reported in the city yesterday with Russian forces reportedly firing warning shots in an attempt to disperse peaceful protesters,” the Ministry said.

Russia is likely to “make further attempts to subvert Ukrainian democracy,” the update said.

“Russia has reportedly installed its own mayor in Melitopol following the alleged abduction of his predecessor on Friday 11 March,” the update said. “Subsequently, the Mayor of Dniprorudne has also reportedly been abducted by Russian forces.”

Mar 14, 9:56 pm
Latest talks with Russia went ‘pretty good,’ will continue tomorrow, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy updated the status of negotiations with Russia in his latest address Monday, saying the latest talks went “pretty good” and will continue tomorrow.

Zelenskyy also addressed Russian troops, telling them they would be treated “decently” should they surrender.

“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I give you a chance — chance to survive,” Zelenskyy said. “You surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated. As people, decently.”

Zelenskyy also thanked the producer at a Russian state news channel who appeared on camera behind an anchor and held up an anti-war sign. She was later arrested.

“I am grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to convey the truth,” he said. “To those who fight disinformation and tell the truth, real facts to their friends and loved ones. And personally to the woman who entered the studio of Channel One with a poster against the war.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A Fox News cameraperson was killed and a correspondent was injured in Ukraine, shortly after the death of a freelance journalist also covering the Russian invasion.

Fox News’ Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, was killed while working alongside Fox News State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall “when incoming fire hit their vehicle outside of Kyiv” on Monday, the network said Tuesday. Zakrzewski had covered stories in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria for Fox News.

“Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network, and his loss is devastating,” the network said.

I don’t know what to say. Pierre was as good as they come. Selfless. Brave. Passionate. I’m so sorry this happened to you. pic.twitter.com/IvxlPWGDAl

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 15, 2022

Hall was hospitalized, according to Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, who asked Monday to “please keep Ben and his family in your prayers.” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby also confirmed he was injured.

“The president of Fox, Jay Wallace, says that everyone always felt an extra sense of reassurance when they arrived on the scene and they saw that Pierre was there. He was a professional, he was a journalist and he was a friend,” Fox News PR said Tuesday.

Shaun Tandon, president of the State Department Correspondents’ Association, said in a Monday statement, “We know Ben for his warmth, good humor and utmost professionalism. We wish Ben a quick recovery and call for utmost efforts to protect journalists who are providing an invaluable service through their coverage in Ukraine.”

This follows the Sunday death of freelance journalist Brent Renaud, which was confirmed by the U.S. State Department. Renaud was in Ukraine to cover the global refugee crisis for a documentary with Sugar23, Time Studios and Day Zero Productions, according to Sugar23.

“As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Brent tackled the toughest stories around the world often alongside his brother Craig Renaud,” Time editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and president and COO of Time and Time Studios Ian Orefice said in a statement. “In recent weeks, Brent was in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis. Our hearts are with all of Brent’s loved ones.”

Photojournalist Juan Arredondo said he was with Renaud when he was killed.

In a video from a hospital bed, Arredondo said, “We crossed the first bridge in Irpin; we were going to film other refugees leaving and we got to a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, and we crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us. So, the driver turned around, and they kept shooting. It’s two of us, my friend is Brent Renaud, and he’s been shot and left behind.”

“This kind of attack is totally unacceptable and is a violation of international law,” Carlos Martínez de la Serna, program director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement. “Russian forces in Ukraine must stop all violence against journalists and other civilians at once.”

“Two examples of the dangers in covering war,” Kirby, of the Pentagon, said of Hall and Renaud during a Monday press briefing. “This is a war that didn’t need to be fought, to be sure. But just as to be sure, there are journalists from around the world on the ground trying to discover the truth and to show that truth and to tell these important stories.”

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.