Russia-Ukraine updates: US to ban Russian carriers from its airspace

PHOTO: Ambassadors and diplomats leave the room while Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov addresses with a pre-recorded video message the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, March 1, 2022.

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Salvatore Di Nolfi/AP

What you need to know about the Russia-Ukraine conflict

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.

Feb 24, 2022 10:47 PM

Ukraine reclaims airport, orders general mobilization of reserve soldiers

Ukrainian officials said they have reclaimed a key military airport on the edge of Kyiv that had been seized by Russian special forces.

The Ukrainian Parliament’s official Telegram account said the Antonov Airport in Hostomel was now "fully under the control" of Ukrainian troops.

Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko also said Ukrainian troops had managed to retake the airport, calling it “the first big victory!”

The move comes as the county prepares to bolster its forces.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered a general mobilization that calls up men of fighting age and reservists.

The order also allows the government to commandeer transport.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

Feb 24, 2022 10:30 PM

Biden briefs congressional leadership on Ukraine invasion updates

President Joe Biden briefed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the evolving situation in Ukraine during a phone call Thursday afternoon.

McConnell declined to provide more details about the conversation but told reporters that he urged the president, both publicly and privately, to "ratchet up the sanctions."

Representatives from Schumer and Pelosi's offices acknowledged the call but didn't provide more details.

-ABC News' Allie Pecorin, Mariam Khan and Ben Gittleson

Feb 24, 2022 10:13 PM

OSCE pulls observers out of Ukraine

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an intergovernmental organization monitoring the situation in Ukraine, announced Thursday that it is evacuating its staff from the country "as early as possible and feasible dependent on the relevant factors on the ground."

The organization has had a team in place since 2014, reporting on all developments in the country. It included citizens from more than 40 different countries.

OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid said in a statement that the relocation was meant to be temporary.

"The safety of the dedicated women and men who serve as impartial eyes and ears of the international community on the ground throughout the country is imperative," she said in a statement.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Feb 24, 2022 9:41 PM

Putin, Macron hold call as invasion continues

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop its actions in Ukraine during a phone call Thursday afternoon, according to French officials.

"After speaking to the Ukrainian President, and in consultation with him, the President called Vladimir Putin to demand an immediate halt to Russian military operations, recalling that Russia was exposing itself to massive sanctions," according to the Elysée.

Pool/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) gestures during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, Feb. 7, 2022.

Pool/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

Russian media also confirmed the phone call between the two leaders took place. The Kremlin press service said Putin "gave an exhaustive explanation of the reasons and circumstances for the decision to conduct a special military operation."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Feb 27, 2022 4:59 PM

3 killed, including child, by cluster munitions at preschool: Report

Three people were killed, including a child, and one child was injured after cluster munitions hit a preschool in northeastern Ukraine Friday, Amnesty International reported.

Civilians were taking shelter inside the Sonechko nursery and kindergarten in Okhtyrka in Sumy Oblast when the munitions were dropped, according to the NGO.

Amnesty International says the attack appears to have been carried out by nearby Russian forces.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou