An apartment building in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, targeted by the Russians forces on March 12, 2022. (Evgeniy Maloletka)
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It is widely believed that Russian leadership expected its all-out invasion of Ukraine to succeed within days.
Twenty days later, Ukraine still stands, and Russia has no major victories to claim. It seized only one large city and regional center, Kherson in southern Ukraine.
To force Ukraine to surrender, Russia has shelled civilians in residential areas and attacked military and civilian infrastructure, including schools, kindergartens, and hospitals all across the country. Photos of Kharkiv's wrecked downtown and a destroyed maternity hospital in Mariupol have appeared on the front pages of newspapers all over the world.
Since Feb. 24, Russia's aggression has killed thousands of Ukrainians, forced some three million to flee, and left cities and villages in ruins.
Ukrainian emergency workers carry an injured pregnant woman after Russian troops shelled a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast on March 9, 2022. The woman and her unborn baby have died. (Evgeniy Maloletka)A mass grave in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, on March 9, 2022. According to local authorities, over 2,000 residents have been killed in the city since Feb. 24, 2022. (Mstyslav Chernov)Firefighters rescue people from an apartment building in Kyiv that was shelled on March 14, 2022. At least one person was killed and dozens were injured. (Getty Images)A woman in despair after an apartment building was destroyed by shelling in the northwestern Obolon district of Kyiv on March 14, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)Firefighters extinguish fire at a destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro on March 11, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)A burned tank and a damaged building in Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast on March 12, 2022. The city was occupied by Russian forces after 16 days of heavy fighting. (Getty Images)Funeral ceremony held for three Ukrainian servicemen Taras Didukh, 25, Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39, and Dmytro Kabakov, 58, in Lviv on March 11, 2022. (Getty Images)A resident prays by a candle while sheltering in the basement as Russian forces move through the city on March 7, 2022 in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. (Getty Images)Andriy says goodbye to his partner Yarina before boarding a train to Dnipro on March 9, 2022 in Lviv. As civilian Ukrainians flee to western Ukraine and abroad to escape Russia's assault, military personnel are heading east to fight. (Getty Images)Firefighters put out the fire after a Russian missile hit downtown Kharkiv on March 14, 2022. (Getty Images)The bodies of two civilians killed by Russian shelling are seen in the central park of Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on March 10, 2022. Irpin, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, had experienced days of sustained shelling by Russian forces advancing toward the capital. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)A family walks down a stairwell pocked with shrapnel from an earlier rocket strike in Mykolayiv. The regional capital in southern Ukraine has been under frequent bombardment by Russian forces trying to advance along the Black Sea coast. (Getty Images)People walk amid destruction as they evacuate from Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on March 10, 2022. A body of a civilian man killed by Russian forces is seen nearby. (Getty Images)A rescuer pushes a trolley with an elderly woman during an evacuation in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on March 8, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)A Ukrainian soldier stands near the blown-up bridge in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, as Territorial Defense volunteers help civilians cross the river and flee on March 7, 2022. (Volodymyr Petrov)A man stands inside his house wrecked by Russian shelling in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. The city has been under Russian siege for over two weeks. (Evgeniy Maloletka)
"Trump is frustrated with both Zelensky and Putin as well, but we’re going to get there," U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News. "What we want to have is a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire."
European Solidarity called the blocked trip a violation of democratic principles, accusing the speaker of Ukraine's parliament of obstructing opposition activity and undermining parliamentary diplomacy.
The European Union is set to receive a 20% tariff, while goods from China will be hit with an additional 34%. Ukraine is also included on the list, subject to a 10% tariff.
The proposed laws broaden the definition of "foreign agents," allow trials in absentia for anti-war offenses, and introduce harsher penalties for "discrediting" the military.
The strike damaged apartment buildings and caused a fire at the scene, where rescue operations are ongoing, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration.
The sanctioned network helped the Houthis acquire "tens of millions of dollars' worth of commodities from Russia, including weapons and sensitive goods, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain," according to the Treasury.
"I know at least two big leaders that were speaking secretly to (Putin) because of course I still have my friends in the Kremlin," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, who played a role in backchannel diplomacy between Moscow and the Trump administration in 2016, is set to meet Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, according to CNN.
The Levada Center survey found that 26% of respondents strongly support a truce, while 24% "somewhat support" it. Meanwhile, 41% oppose the idea, including 25% who strongly reject it.
Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies on April 2 announced charges in a corruption case involving overpriced food purchases by the Defense Ministry between 2022 and 2023.
HUR claimed drones operated by its "Prymary" special unit struck a Tor M2 short-range air defense system, and two Russian landing craft operating at sea.
The Unmanned Systems Forces are recruiting members for its new Harpies unit, including exclusively female drone operators, the branch announced on April 2.
The joint declaration at the Washington summit last year included a commitment to "develop recommendations on NATO's strategic approach to Russia, taking into account the changing security environment."
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