Russia-Ukraine

Putin expressed concern for the lives of Russian troops in deciding against sending them in to clear out the sprawling Azovstal steel mill, where the die-hard defenders were hiding in a maze of underground passageways.

The new military assistance includes heavy artillery, ammunition and drones for Ukraine. Biden also said all Russian-affiliated ships would be barred from U.S. ports.

Two EcoPark zoo workers in Ukraine who stayed behind to help care for animals at the facility — despite Russian shelling — were found dead, officials said.

The U.N. refugee agency says more than 5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country on Feb. 24.

If successful, the Russian offensive in what is known as the Donbas would essentially slice Ukraine in two and give President Vladimir Putin a badly needed victory after the failed attempt by Moscow's forces to storm the capital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s offensive to take control of eastern Ukraine is in full swing.

Russian defense officials say Ukrainian military command has banned its troops from surrendering.

To date, Ukraine’s IT Army, a volunteer group of hackers and activists who work with the Ukrainian government, has reportedly used the technology to notify 582 Russian families about soldiers’ deaths.

Russian forces resumed scattered attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond Saturday in an explosive reminder to Ukrainians that the whole country remains under threat.

The bodies of more than 900 civilians have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following Russia's withdrawal — most of them fatally shot, an indication that many people were "simply executed.”

A Russian news report in 2020 said the Christian relic would be stored on the Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, which sank this week.

"The playwright wants to tell the whole world the truth about the genocide of Ukrainians and the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people," the city council announced on Facebook.

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, a guided-missile cruiser that became a potent target of Ukrainian defiance in the opening days of the war, sank Thursday after it was heavily damaged in the latest setback for Moscow's invasion.

Video shared by police in Ukraine shows the heartwarming moment when rescuers pulled a whimpering puppy from a pile of debris, then handed him off to a thankful owner badly injured by Russian shelling.

"We are asking the whole world to unite and help us fight this cruel aggression," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region.