LHStoday will be adding updates as the story progresses.

Monday, April 4, 10:32 a.m

Russian soldiers made their way out of Bucha, a Ukrainian city, and as Ukrainian soldiers made their way into the town they found a mass grave and people lying in the street. Nations of the world are calling for war crimes charges. There is no further development with the charges.

Mariupol is also on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The Red Cross is unable to help due to security issues. They’ve been trying to reach the city since Saturday but have so far been unsuccessful.

While the fighting at the capital may have been abated, eastern Ukraine is starting to prepare for heavy fighting. Putin seems to be sending lots of troops to the Donbas region. It’s become clear that Russian forces are trying to cut off their fuel dumps having targeted another fuel dump in Ukraine.

Speaking of, a fire broke out at a fuel depot in Belgorod, Russia. A regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said accused Ukraine of being behind it although there is no way to verify this claim at the moment.

Tuesday, March 29, 10:20 a.m.

Russian forces have begun to deescalate their advances on Ukraine. They announced two plans for de-escalation including reducing military activity in Kyiv and talking with President Zelensky. Though the US doesn’t necessarily believe that Russia is serious about its talks with Ukraine. Blinken said, “There is what Russia says, and then there’s what Russia does, we’ll take the latter.”

Sunday, March 13, 11:44 p.m.

It’s been reported that 35 are dead and hundreds are injured after Russian warplanes fired 30 cruise missiles at the Ukrainian military base in Lviv. This base happens to be a little too close for comfort near the Poland border. If even a shelling of a missile were to land in Poland it would activate article five of the NATO treaty ‘an attack on one is an attack on all. 

Russia has asked China for military assistance and a senior White House National Security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said that this could be of “concern.” Sullivan and the Chinese representative will meet in Rome, Italy on Monday. Also on Monday, Russian and Ukrainian representatives will be holding talks via video call. 

OTHER QUICK UPDATES

• At least 2.5 million people have left Ukraine 
• Russia and Ukraine’s foreign minister met in Turkey and could not come to an agreement on a cease-fire. They tried to negotiate how to best help Ukrainian citizens but Ukraine was skeptical 
• Ukraine President has urged the EU to rapidly accept Ukraine as part of the European Union. 
• President Zylensky is still in Kyiv and refuses to leave. 
• President Biden sent an additional 500 Us troops to neighboring countries. 
• The US Secretary says the US might implement more sanctions against Russia 
• The White House has said that they believe that Russia is committing war crimes against Ukraine.  White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said that “…we are documenting it as it takes place.” 
• The Russian ruble is now less than one US penny due to all the sanctions 
• The letter ‘z’ has become a symbol for Russians who support the war on Ukraine. 
• The gas prices in the US have gone up. Even though Russia isn’t our main supplier of oil, most parts of Europe still rely on Russia for oil so it’s affecting all of us. 

February 25, 2021, 5:45 p.m.

Over the last 24 hours, Russia has officially invaded Ukraine. Here’s everything you need to know.

Who?

Early Thursday morning Russia started firing missiles and advancing into Ukraine. As of now, the European Union has frozen Putin’s assets and earlier today President Biden said the US will be joining in cutting off their sanctions. These sanctions include cutting off Russia’s largest bank from the US.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has spoken saying that he thinks his family is the next target. He also said about an hour ago that tonight will make or break the future of the capital, Kyiv, saying “… the fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.” As thousands have started to flee to neighboring countries, Zelensky put a ban on military-aged men from crossing the borders. The US believes that Kyiv will fall within a matter of hours or weeks and Russia will take regime control.

What? 

Russia has been firing missiles and has not stopped as of now. They fired into an elementary school yesterday, no one was killed and there were only three injuries from teachers. They took control of the Kyiv airport and the Chernobyl power plant which is extremely radioactive. Right now there is a battle for control over Kyiv but no outcome as of right now.

Look at this map to see where the air raids and ground fighting has been happening.

Why? 

It’s now become clear that Putin wants to overthrow the democratic country. Putin has said multiple times in the past that he doesn’t want Ukraine to become part of NATO, but he also wants NATO to be what it was pre-1997 borders. In his eyes, he is saving Ukraine from being controlled by a Neo-Nazi government.

When? 

The most important thing right now is Kyiv. There’s no telling what will happen to the capital and when that will happen. The Biden Administration has said that Kyiv could fall in hours or it could fall in weeks.

What now? 

Right now troops have been sent to neighboring countries but we are not on the front lines. This is a scary time and there isn’t much we can do at the moment. If seeing the news is starting to overwhelm you it’s okay to take a break. It’s called ‘doomscrolling‘ and it’s normal to be glued to your phone, computer, or TV anxiously waiting for something to happen. Stay calm and remember it’s going to be okay.

Within the past few days, there’s been a sudden rise in tension with Russia. Right now, the world is watching with worried eyes as Russia could plan to invade Ukraine.

Who? 

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has started making military advances toward Ukraine. Around 100,000 Russian troops have moved along to the Ukraine-Russia border, despite Putin saying that Russia does not plan to invade Ukraine. The European Union and the United States have kept a close eye on Russia, and President Biden is currently considering putting troops on the eastern border of Ukraine to help NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The President of Ukraine said a plan a coup was uncovered and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the coup could be the first part of the invasion. Nothing is confirmed as of right now. 

Why? 

What does Russia want with Ukraine? Back when Russia was the Soviet Union, Ukraine was part of the Soviet states. Ukraine became independent in 1991 when the Soviet Union fell. Now, Putin wants to reclaim the nation, as it it would result in economic, population, and territory gain. 

When? 

Everything is up in the air at the moment, and there’s no telling when gravity will run its course.

What? 

What happens now? Well, Ukraine is not a NATO member so it doesn’t get the same amount of protection as some nations within. However, we are still political allies and NATO has been helping at the border as early as 2013. As mentioned, President Biden says he doesn’t intend on putting US troops on Ukrainian ground but instead in NATO-protected countries. The administration also sent $200 million dollars worth of weapons to aid Ukraine in December.