Catch up on Ukraine war and how it affects us; latest coverage tonight

Associated Press, CNN

The Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its third week on Thursday, with Russian forces continuing to bombard major cities.

Satellite photos show that a massive Russian convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital since last week has fanned out into towns and forests, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.

Thousands of people have been killed and more than 2.3 million have fled the country since Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Besieged cities have been suffering from shortages of food, medicine, heat and electricity.

Find out the latest by clicking/tapping Live Updates below, or keep reading for select updates, invasion map, a podcast and a photo gallery from the front lines.

Here is an Associated Press rundown of key things to know about the war:

A massive convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.

International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital. Western and Ukrainian officials called the attack a war crime. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which has led to widespread international condemnation and the severing of many diplomatic ties — has led analysts and government officials to note it may be very difficult to Americans incarcerated in Russia back home.

The most well-known, WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, 31, is accused of having cannabis oil in her luggage while at a Russian airport and also accused of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense the Russian government says is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Griner, a two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist and WNBA star, plays for the Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason.

In the U.S., a $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies sailed to final congressional approval Thursday, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that’s five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties.

And also notable here in the U.S., the conflict is causing gas prices to spike to all-time records.

US gas price tracker

Categories: World News