Russia ramps up war efforts as delegates prepare for talks at Belarus border | CNN
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CNN
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A miles-long convoy of Russian military vehicles is bearing down on the Ukrainian capital, new satellite imagery shows, as Moscow continues to ramp up its assault on Kyiv despite preparing for negotiations with Ukrainian representatives.
Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is now entering into its fifth day, with its troops facing determined resistance across the country, frustrating Moscow’s efforts to swiftly take control of key cities.
Monday’s talks – expected to be held on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border at noon Moscow time (4:00 a.m. EST), according to Russian state news agency TASS – would mark the two sides’ first public contact since war began.
In a public address Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky downplayed the significance of the talks. “I do not really believe in the result of this meeting, but let them try, so that no citizen of Ukraine would have any doubt that I, as President, did not try to stop the war when there was even a small chance,” Zelensky said.
But while Ukrainians have attached little hope in the talks yielding a pathway to peace, the opportunities to deescalate the conflict appear to be quickly shrinking.
As NATO allies pledged increased weaponry and assistance to embattled Ukrainian forces and international sanctions on Russia begin to tighten, Putin on Sunday raised the stakes by ordering his country’s nuclear forces to be placed on high alert.
Later on Sunday, Belarus renounced its non-nuclear status in a referendum, after the former Soviet nation became a launch pad for Russia’s invasion in Ukraine last week.
The vote in favor of a new constitution could theoretically allow Russia to place nuclear weapons back in Belarus for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, when Belarus gave up its stockpile and became a nuclear free zone.
Addressing journalists at a polling station in Minsk, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said he could ask Putin to “return the nuclear weapons” Belarus gave away if the West transfers any nuclear weapons to Poland or Lithuania.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Andriy Andriyenko/AP
A couple embraces at a railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Sunday, February 27. The woman was about to board a train heading west.
![The lifeless body of a 6-year-old girl, who <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227182642-09-ukraine-0227.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
![Satellite images show significant damage to part of an aircraft hangar at the Hostomel Air Base outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 27. The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov AN-225 Mriya, was destroyed by a Russian attack on the airport, <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227175415-ukraine-damaged-aircraft-hangar-022722.jpg?q=h_1174,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
![People wait on a platform inside the railway station in Lviv, Ukraine, on February 27. Thousands of people at Lviv's main train station attempted to board trains that would take them out of Ukraine.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227182714-12-ukraine-0227.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Bernat Armangue/AP
People wait on a platform inside the railway station in Lviv, Ukraine, on February 27. Thousands of people at Lviv’s main train station attempted to board trains that would take them out of Ukraine.
![A Russian armored vehicle burns after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 27. Street fighting broke out as Russian troops entered Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and residents were urged to stay in shelters and not travel.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227182710-11-ukraine-0227.jpg?q=h_1349,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Marienko Andrew/AP
A Russian armored vehicle burns after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 27. Street fighting broke out as Russian troops entered Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and residents were urged to stay in shelters and not travel.
![Local residents prepare Molotov cocktails in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on February 27.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227184017-13-ukraine-0227.jpg?q=h_1358,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Serhii Hudak/Reuters
Local residents prepare Molotov cocktails in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on February 27.
![Cars line up on the road outside Mostyska, Ukraine, as people attempt to flee to Poland on February 27.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227165800-07-ukraine-russia-0227.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Natalie Thomas/Reuters
Cars line up on the road outside Mostyska, Ukraine, as people attempt to flee to Poland on February 27.
![Ukrainian troops in Kyiv escort a prisoner February 27 who they suspected of being a Russian agent.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227075608-02-ukraine-0227-kyiv.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Ukrainian troops in Kyiv escort a prisoner February 27 who they suspected of being a Russian agent.
![Ukrainian forces patrol mostly empty streets in Kyiv on February 27. Mayor Vitali Klitschko <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227120411-05-ukraine-russia-0227-kyiv.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
![Ukrainian service members take position at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on February 27.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227054000-02-ukranian-servicemen-military-airbase-0227.jpg?q=h_1688,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Maksim Levin/Reuters
Ukrainian service members take position at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on February 27.
![A woman sleeps on chairs February 27 in the underground parking lot of a Kyiv hotel that has been turned into a bomb shelter.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226235341-kyiv-bomb-shelter-022722.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Vadim Ghirda/AP
A woman sleeps on chairs February 27 in the underground parking lot of a Kyiv hotel that has been turned into a bomb shelter.
![An explosion lights up the sky to the south of Kyiv early on February 27. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226180803-kyiv-explosion-022722.jpg?q=h_1080,w_1920,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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CNN
![Ukrainian service members take cover in a shelter at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on Saturday, February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227032828-ukrainian-servicemen-shelter-kyiv-022622.jpg?q=h_1998,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Maksim Levin/Reuters
Ukrainian service members take cover in a shelter at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on Saturday, February 26.
![A damaged residential building is seen in Kyiv on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227191041-05-ukraine-0226.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
A damaged residential building is seen in Kyiv on February 26.
![People in Kyiv run for cover during shelling on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226184414-bpt106-ukraine-022622.jpg?q=h_2003,w_3004,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
People in Kyiv run for cover during shelling on February 26.
![An apartment building in Kyiv is seen after it was damaged by shelling on February 26. The outer walls of several apartment units appeared to be blown out entirely, with the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227191019-04-ukraine-0226.jpg?q=h_1239,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images
An apartment building in Kyiv is seen after it was damaged by shelling on February 26. The outer walls of several apartment units appeared to be blown out entirely, with the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose.
![People in Kyiv take cover as an air-raid siren sounds February 26 near an apartment building <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227191005-01-ukraine-0226.jpg?q=h_1305,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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![A police vehicle patrols the streets of Kyiv on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226185809-kyiv-ukraine-curfew-022622.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Pierre Crom/Getty Images
A police vehicle patrols the streets of Kyiv on February 26.
![Ukrainian troops inspect a site following a Russian airstrike in Kyiv on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227191009-02-ukraine-0226.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian troops inspect a site following a Russian airstrike in Kyiv on February 26.
![Following a national directive to help complicate the invading Russian Army's attempts to navigate, a road worker removes signs near Pisarivka, Ukraine, on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227115708-04-ukraine-russia-0226-pisarivka.jpg?q=h_2001,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times/Redux
Following a national directive to help complicate the invading Russian Army’s attempts to navigate, a road worker removes signs near Pisarivka, Ukraine, on February 26.
![A man kneels in front of a Russian tank in Bakhmach, Ukraine, on February 26 as Ukrainian citizens attempted to stop the tank from moving forward. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227205825-bakhmach-ukraine-tank-kneel.jpg?q=h_1067,w_1600,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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From Telegram
![Members of the Territorial Defense Force — Ukraine's military reserve — prepare to defend Kyiv on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226140533-bpt104-ukraine-022622.jpg?q=h_2229,w_3344,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Mikhail Palinchak/AP
Members of the Territorial Defense Force — Ukraine’s military reserve — prepare to defend Kyiv on February 26.
![Ukrainian service members collect unexploded shells after fighting with advancing Russian troops in Kyiv early on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226021525-01-ukrainian-service-members-0226.jpg?q=h_1958,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian service members collect unexploded shells after fighting with advancing Russian troops in Kyiv early on February 26.
![People in Kyiv board a train heading to the west of the country on February 26. Kelly Clements, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220226144632-02-ukraine-kyiv-train-022622.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Pierre Crom/Getty Images
![Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after fighting in Kyiv on February 26.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227191015-03-ukraine-0226.jpg?q=h_1302,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after fighting in Kyiv on February 26.
![Smoke and flames are seen near Kyiv on February 26. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225213732-01-ukraine-0226.jpg?q=h_1125,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Gleb Garanich/Reuters
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225223308-ukrainian-president-zelensky-friday-night.jpg?q=h_1363,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Office of the President of Ukraine
![The body of a Russian soldier lies next to a Russian vehicle outside Kharkiv on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225145052-07-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
The body of a Russian soldier lies next to a Russian vehicle outside Kharkiv on February 25.
![A woman weeps in her car after crossing the border from Ukraine into Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania, on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225101131-04-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Paul Ursachi/AP
A woman weeps in her car after crossing the border from Ukraine into Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania, on February 25.
![A Ukrainian soldier sits injured from crossfire inside Kyiv on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225153350-10-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Emilio Morenatti/AP
A Ukrainian soldier sits injured from crossfire inside Kyiv on February 25.
![A child from Ukraine sleeps in a tent at a humanitarian center in Palanca, Moldova, on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225153348-09-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Aurel Obreja/AP
A child from Ukraine sleeps in a tent at a humanitarian center in Palanca, Moldova, on February 25.
![A firefighter walks between the ruins of a downed aircraft in Kyiv on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225112608-03-ukraine-russia-aircraft-022522.jpg?q=h_1625,w_2437,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Oleksandr Ratushniak/AP
A firefighter walks between the ruins of a downed aircraft in Kyiv on February 25.
![<a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227191036-married-couple-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Mikhail Palinchak/AP
![Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225101216-05-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1383,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv on February 25.
![People walk past a residential building in Kyiv that was hit in an alleged Russian airstrike on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225144002-02-kyiv-apartment-fadek-022522.jpg?q=h_2667,w_4000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People walk past a residential building in Kyiv that was hit in an alleged Russian airstrike on February 25.
![The body of a school employee, who according to locals was killed in recent shelling, lies in the separatist-controlled town of Horlivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225145055-08-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
The body of a school employee, who according to locals was killed in recent shelling, lies in the separatist-controlled town of Horlivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on February 25.
![Kyiv residents take shelter in an underground parking garage on February 25.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224224303-01-ukraine-0225.jpg?q=h_1334,w_1866,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Kyiv residents take shelter in an underground parking garage on February 25.
![In this handout photo from the Ukrainian government, firefighters respond to the scene of a residential building on fire in Kyiv on February 25. Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said the city had been hit by <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220225102224-06-ukranie-0225.jpg?q=h_1069,w_1600,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Ukraine State Emergency Service/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
![A wounded woman stands outside a hospital after an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuhuiv, outside of Kharkiv, on Thursday, February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224161024-29-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_2973,w_4460,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A wounded woman stands outside a hospital after an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuhuiv, outside of Kharkiv, on Thursday, February 24.
![The body of a rocket remains in an apartment after shelling on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224221919-32-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1331,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images
The body of a rocket remains in an apartment after shelling on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv on February 24.
![A boy plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224180932-30-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Emilio Morenatti/AP
A boy plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on February 24.
![A man mourns after an airstrike reportedly hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224181428-31-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A man mourns after an airstrike reportedly hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv on February 24.
![Rescuers work at a crash site on February 24 after a Ukrainian military plane fell and caught fire outside of Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service. The cause of the crash wasn't indicated.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224153318-25-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1773,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Ukrainian State Emergency Service/Reuters
Rescuers work at a crash site on February 24 after a Ukrainian military plane fell and caught fire outside of Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service. The cause of the crash wasn’t indicated.
![Sviatoslav Fursin, left, and Yaryna Arieva kneel during <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224102102-01b-ukraine-wedding.jpg?q=h_1875,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Christian Streib/CNN
![Ukrainian service members sit atop armored vehicles driving in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224150006-19-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian service members sit atop armored vehicles driving in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on February 24.
![People in Kyiv try to board a bus to travel west toward Poland on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224150014-24-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People in Kyiv try to board a bus to travel west toward Poland on February 24.
![US President Joe Biden arrives in the East Room of the White House to <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224150010-21-ukraine-0224-restricted.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
![Smoke rises from a military airport in Chuhuiv on February 24. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224074252-kharkiv-airport-022422.jpg?q=h_3257,w_4885,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
![People seek shelter inside a subway station in Kharkiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224150013-23-ukraine-0224-restricted.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
People seek shelter inside a subway station in Kharkiv on February 24.
![Russian military vehicles are seen at the Chernobyl power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, on February 24. Russian forces have <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224150011-22-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1581,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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From Telegram
![Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire after a reported strike in Chuhuiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223165708-11-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire after a reported strike in Chuhuiv on February 24.
![People wait after boarding a bus to leave Kyiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224153523-26-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People wait after boarding a bus to leave Kyiv on February 24.
![Ukrainian President Zelensky holds an emergency meeting in Kyiv on February 24. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224081158-zelenksy-emergency-meeting-022422.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
![Police officers inspect the remains of a missile that landed in Kyiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224024444-09-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1353,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Police officers inspect the remains of a missile that landed in Kyiv on February 24.
![A staff member of a Kyiv hotel talks on the phone on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224083819-13-ukraine-0224-restricted.jpg?q=h_1668,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Ethan Swope/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A staff member of a Kyiv hotel talks on the phone on February 24.
![Smoke rises from an air defense base after an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol on February 24. A CNN team in Mariupol reported hearing <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224085651-16-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1670,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
![People wait in line to buy train tickets at the central station in Kyiv on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224035154-11-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People wait in line to buy train tickets at the central station in Kyiv on February 24.
![A long line of cars is seen<a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224003023-03-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1335,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
![A photo provided by the Ukrainian President's office appears to show an explosion in Kyiv early on February 24.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223235028-02-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_900,w_1600,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ukrainian President’s Office
A photo provided by the Ukrainian President’s office appears to show an explosion in Kyiv early on February 24.
![People in Moscow watch a televised address by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220224011952-05-ukraine-0224.jpg?q=h_1219,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Sergei Illnitsky/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
![<a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223223549-04b-ukraine-022322.jpg?q=h_1125,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
![A convoy of Russian military vehicles is seen February 23 in the Rostov region of Russia, which runs along Ukraine's eastern border.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223231454-05-ukraine-russia-022322.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
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Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A convoy of Russian military vehicles is seen February 23 in the Rostov region of Russia, which runs along Ukraine’s eastern border.
![Ukrainian soldiers talk in a shelter at the front line near Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, on February 23.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223200040-02-ukraine-022322.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Ukrainian soldiers talk in a shelter at the front line near Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, on February 23.
![Smoke rises from a damaged power plant in Shchastya that Ukrainian authorities say was hit by shelling on Tuesday, February 22.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220222173531-08-ukraine-russia-022222.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
Smoke rises from a damaged power plant in Shchastya that Ukrainian authorities say was hit by shelling on Tuesday, February 22.
![A damaged house is worked on after shelling near the Ukrainian front-line city of Novoluhanske on February 22.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223125155-01b-ukraine-russia-022322.jpg?q=h_1125,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
A damaged house is worked on after shelling near the Ukrainian front-line city of Novoluhanske on February 22.
![Mourners gather at a church in Kyiv on February 22 for the funeral of Ukrainian Army Capt. Anton Sydorov. The Ukrainian military said he was <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220222123816-01-ukraine-russia-022222.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
![Ukrainian soldiers pay their respects during Sydorov's funeral in Kyiv on February 22.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220222124032-02-ukraine-russia-022222.jpg?q=h_1336,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Ukrainian soldiers pay their respects during Sydorov’s funeral in Kyiv on February 22.
![A sign displays conversion rates at a currency exchange kiosk in Kyiv on February 22. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220222124905-05-ukraine-russia-022222.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Christopher Occhicone/Bloomberg/Getty Images
![Russian howitzers are loaded onto train cars near Taganrog, Russia, on February 22.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220223215438-taganrog-russia-howitzers.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
The New York Times/Redux
Russian howitzers are loaded onto train cars near Taganrog, Russia, on February 22.
![People who left a separatist-held region in eastern Ukraine watch <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220221173513-07-ukraine-russia-tension-unf-022022-restricted.jpg?q=h_1573,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
![<a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220221151846-04-putin-address-0221.jpg?q=h_1617,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin/Pool/AP
![Protesters demanding economic sanctions against Russia stand outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv on February 21. Only a small number of protesters showed up to demonstrate.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220221173029-05-ukraine-russia-tension-unf-022122.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Protesters demanding economic sanctions against Russia stand outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv on February 21. Only a small number of protesters showed up to demonstrate.
![Activists hold a performance in front of the Russian embassy in Kyiv on February 21 in support of prisoners who were arrested in Crimea. They say the red doors are a symbol of the doors that were kicked in to search and arrest Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220222124036-06-ukraine-russia-tension-unf-022122.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Activists hold a performance in front of the Russian embassy in Kyiv on February 21 in support of prisoners who were arrested in Crimea. They say the red doors are a symbol of the doors that were kicked in to search and arrest Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority.
![Ukrainian servicemen shop in the front-line town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, on February 21.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220222124151-07-ukraine-russia-tension-unf-022122.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aleksey Filippov/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian servicemen shop in the front-line town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, on February 21.
![People lay flowers at the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 21.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220221170727-03-ukraine-russia-tension-unf-022122-restricted.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ali Atmaca/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
People lay flowers at the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 21.
![A local resident shows the depth of a crater from shelling in a field behind his house in the village of Tamarchuk, Ukraine, on February 20.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220221040902-05-ukraine-tension-gallery-02202022.jpg?q=h_1417,w_2126,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Stanislav Kozliuk/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A local resident shows the depth of a crater from shelling in a field behind his house in the village of Tamarchuk, Ukraine, on February 20.
![Ukrainian service members are seen along the front line outside of Popasna, Ukraine, on February 20.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220220143246-01-ukraine-tension-gallery-022022.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Ukrainian service members are seen along the front line outside of Popasna, Ukraine, on February 20.
![People evacuated from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine are seen at a temporary shelter in Taganrog, Russia, on February 20.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220221173512-06-ukraine-russia-tension-unf-022022-restricted.jpg?q=h_1669,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
People evacuated from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine are seen at a temporary shelter in Taganrog, Russia, on February 20.
![Anastasia Manha lulls her 2-month-old son Mykyta after alleged shelling by separatists forces in Novohnativka, Ukraine, on February 20.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220220144539-03-ukraine-tension-gallery-022022.jpg?q=h_2000,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Anastasia Manha lulls her 2-month-old son Mykyta after alleged shelling by separatists forces in Novohnativka, Ukraine, on February 20.
![A Ukrainian soldier stays on position on the front line near Novohnativka on February 20.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220220144657-04-ukraine-tension-gallery-022022.jpg?q=h_2098,w_3000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier stays on position on the front line near Novohnativka on February 20.
![A couple arrives at the city council to get married in Odessa, Ukraine, on February 20. As Ukrainian authorities reported further ceasefire violations and top Western officials warned about an impending conflict, life went on in other parts of the country.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220220095127-01-ukraine-daily-life-022022.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
A couple arrives at the city council to get married in Odessa, Ukraine, on February 20. As Ukrainian authorities reported further ceasefire violations and top Western officials warned about an impending conflict, life went on in other parts of the country.
![Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy, left, visits soldiers at a front-line position in Novoluhanske on February 19. Minutes after he left, <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220219131812-03b-ukraine-fadek-cnnphotos-021922.jpg?q=h_1406,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
![A woman rests in a car near a border checkpoint in Avilo-Uspenka, Russia, on February 19.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220219093531-04-ukraine-evacuation-021922.jpg?q=h_1692,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Andrey Borodulin/AFP/Getty Images
A woman rests in a car near a border checkpoint in Avilo-Uspenka, Russia, on February 19.
![Residents of the breakaway Donetsk state sign up for evacuation to Russia on February 19. <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220219093528-03-ukraine-evacuation-021922.jpg?q=h_1669,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
AFP/Getty Images
![A Ukrainian service member walks by a building on February 19 that was hit by mortar fire in the front-line village of Krymske, Ukraine.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220219212210-01-ukraine-021922.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A Ukrainian service member walks by a building on February 19 that was hit by mortar fire in the front-line village of Krymske, Ukraine.
![Fighter jets fly over Belarus during a joint military exercise the country held with Russia on February 19.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220219220222-02-belarus-russia-exercise-021922.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Peter Kovalev/TASS/Getty Images
Fighter jets fly over Belarus during a joint military exercise the country held with Russia on February 19.
![Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a military command center in Novoluhanske on February 19.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220219124106-02-ukraine-fadek-cnnphotos-021922.jpg?q=h_1668,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a military command center in Novoluhanske on February 19.
![People sit on a bus in Donetsk on February 18 after they were ordered to evacuate to Russia by pro-Russian separatists.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220218202642-01-ukraine-evacuate-021822.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
People sit on a bus in Donetsk on February 18 after they were ordered to evacuate to Russia by pro-Russian separatists.
![The remains of a military vehicle are seen in a parking lot outside a government building following an explosion in Donetsk on February 18. Ukrainian and US officials said the vehicle explosion was <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220218145055-01-ukraine-tension-gallery-0218.jpg?q=h_1068,w_1600,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Nikolai Trishin/TASS/Getty Images
![A memorial service and candlelight vigil is held at the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on February 18. They honored <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220218204424-01-ukraine-memorial-031822.jpg?q=h_1307,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
![A kindergarten that officials say was <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220218003250-01-ukraine-021722.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Carlos Barria/Reuters
![Children play on old Soviet tanks in front of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 16.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220216170255-06-ukraine-tension-gallery-021622.jpg?q=h_2667,w_4000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Children play on old Soviet tanks in front of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 16.
![Ambassadors of European countries lay roses at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv on February 16. The wall contains the names and photographs of military members who have died since the conflict with Russian-backed separatists began in 2014.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220217001305-ukraine-wall-of-remembrance-0216.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Ambassadors of European countries lay roses at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv on February 16. The wall contains the names and photographs of military members who have died since the conflict with Russian-backed separatists began in 2014.
![US troops walk on the tarmac at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland on February 16. US paratroopers landed in Poland as part of a deployment of several thousand sent to bolster NATO's eastern flank in response to tensions with Russia.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220216155856-01-ukraine-tension-gallery-021622.jpg?q=h_1622,w_2432,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Wojtek Radawanski/AFP/Getty Images
US troops walk on the tarmac at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland on February 16. US paratroopers landed in Poland as part of a deployment of several thousand sent to bolster NATO’s eastern flank in response to tensions with Russia.
![A 200-meter-long Ukrainian flag is unfolded at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on February 16 to mark a](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220216170151-05-ukraine-tension-gallery-021622.jpg?q=h_2667,w_4000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A 200-meter-long Ukrainian flag is unfolded at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on February 16 to mark a “Day of Unity,” an impromptu celebration declared by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
![Travelers wait in line to check in to their departing flights February 15 at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv. US President Joe Biden<a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220215222735-02-boryspil-airport-021522.jpg?q=h_1336,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
![A Ukrainian serviceman carries an anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on February 15.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220216160128-03-ukraine-tension-gallery-021622.jpg?q=h_1954,w_2931,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A Ukrainian serviceman carries an anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on February 15.
![A location of Oschadbank, a state-owned bank, is seen in Kyiv on February 15. The websites of Oschadbank and PrivatBank, the country's two largest banks, <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220215224023-ukraine-oschadbank.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times/Redux
![A woman and child walk underneath a military monument in Senkivka, Ukraine, on February 14. It's on the outskirts of the Three Sisters border crossing between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214233848-04-ukraine-russsia-tensions-unf.jpg?q=h_1334,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A woman and child walk underneath a military monument in Senkivka, Ukraine, on February 14. It’s on the outskirts of the Three Sisters border crossing between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
![F/A-18E and 18F Super Hornets are seen on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman, an American aircraft carrier in the Adriatic Sea on February 14. The Truman was on its way to the Middle East in mid-December, but the Pentagon <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214173906-07-ukraine-theatre-of-war-gallery.jpg?q=h_2667,w_4000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Milan Sabic/Reuters
![Ukrainian service members talk at a front-line position in eastern Ukraine on February 14.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214233841-02-ukraine-russsia-tensions-unf.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian service members talk at a front-line position in eastern Ukraine on February 14.
![Members of Ukraine's National Guard look out a window as they ride a bus through the capital of Kyiv on February 14.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214172913-04-ukraine-theatre-of-war-gallery.jpg?q=h_3295,w_5000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Members of Ukraine’s National Guard look out a window as they ride a bus through the capital of Kyiv on February 14.
![Satellite images taken on February 13 by Maxar Technologies revealed that dozens of helicopters had appeared at a previously vacant airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214233851-05-ukraine-russsia-tensions-unf.jpg?q=h_1355,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Satellite images taken on February 13 by Maxar Technologies revealed that dozens of helicopters had appeared at a previously vacant airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea.
![The Russian navy's diesel-electric Kilo-class submarine, Rostov-on-Don, moves through Turkey's Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea on February 13.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214172740-03-ukraine-theatre-of-war-gallery.jpg?q=h_2661,w_4000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images
The Russian navy’s diesel-electric Kilo-class submarine, Rostov-on-Don, moves through Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea on February 13.
![US soldiers and military vehicles are seen at a military airport in Mielec, Poland, on February 12. The White House approved a plan for the nearly 2,000 US troops in Poland <a href=](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214192851-10-ukraine-theatre-of-war-gallery.jpg?q=h_2125,w_3188,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images
![An anti-war demonstration takes place in Kyiv's Independence Square on February 12.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220212103829-03-ukraine-anti-war-protests-0212.jpg?q=h_1667,w_2500,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
An anti-war demonstration takes place in Kyiv’s Independence Square on February 12.
![Pro-Russian separatists observe the movement of Ukrainian troops from trenches in Ukraine's Donbas area on February 11.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214235157-07-ukraine-russsia-tensions-unf.jpg?q=h_1331,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Svetlana Kisileva/Abaca/Sip/AP
Pro-Russian separatists observe the movement of Ukrainian troops from trenches in Ukraine’s Donbas area on February 11.
![Ukrainian service members unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles that were delivered to Kyiv on February 10 as part of a US military support package for Ukraine.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214233941-06-ukraine-russsia-tensions-unf.jpg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Ukrainian service members unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles that were delivered to Kyiv on February 10 as part of a US military support package for Ukraine.
![Ukrainian service members walk on an armored fighting vehicle during a training exercise in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 10.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220214233837-01-ukraine-russsia-tensions-unf.jpg?q=h_1199,w_2000,x_0,y_0/w_480)
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian service members walk on an armored fighting vehicle during a training exercise in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on February 10.
Ukrainian intelligence also indicated Belarus could be preparing to “participate directly” in the invasion of Ukraine, according to two sources close to the Ukrainian government.
Lukashenko said last week that Belarusian troops could join the invasion “if it becomes necessary.”
So far, despite being far better equipped, Russia has been unable to convert its numerical superiority into territorial gains, as ordinary Ukrainians and reservists join efforts to defend their families and homes.
Ukraine said its air force shot down a cruise missile launched at the city from Belarus Sunday, and claimed a successful drone attack against against a Russian BUK surface-to-air missile system near the capital.
But Western military assessments caution that Ukrainian forces cannot holdout indefinitely. On Sunday, new satellite images released by Maxar Technologies showed a Russian military convoy stretching at least three miles long on a road near Ivankiv, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of the Ukrainian capital. Maxar identified fuel and logistical trucks, in addition to tanks, infantry vehicles and self-propelled artillery among the vehicles in the convoy.
![New satellite images show a more than three-mile-long Russian military convoy on a roadway that heads toward the capital city.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220227180347-russian-convoy-022722.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill)
And while Ukrainian troops appear to be holding ground in the country’s north, Russian forces have made some advances to the south. On Sunday Russian troops took control of Berdyansk – a port city of 100,000 people on Ukraine’s southern coast, and the site of a small naval base.
The ongoing Russian assault has inflicted widespread suffering and casualties on the Ukrainian people, forcing 368,000 people to flee the country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of known civilians killed in Ukraine stands at 352, with 14 of those children, Ukraine’s Ministry of Interior said.
From the removal of Russian liquor and other products from shelves around the US and Canada, to several European countries refusing to play Russia in international football matches, support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion is growing.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview Sunday the bloc wanted Ukraine to join: “They’re one of us,” she said. Ukraine is not an official candidate for EU accession and joining is a complex and lengthy process.
The EU threw its support behind the country, committing for the first time in its history to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment to a country under attack. That includes $450 million to provide arms and lethal assistance to Ukraine and $50 million in non-lethal assistance, top diplomat Josep Borell said.
Russia’s invasion and aviation bans are creating huge no-go areas in the sky, with the EU the latest to close its airspace to Russian planes, including the private jets of oligarchs, following similar moves by the Canada and the UK.
Meanwhile, the UK said it will provide an additional $53 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and British leaders plan to introduce legislation in Parliament aimed at clamping down on Russian money laundering and fraud.
And Australian travel bans and targeted financial sanctions against Putin and senior members of his government went into effect Monday, the country’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed in a statement.