Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout the east and south.
Putin's forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as wintersets in.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 19, 2022, 2:26 PM EDT
Biden says Putin imposing martial law may be 'his only tool available' to brutalize Ukrainians
President Joe Biden reacted to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to impose martial law in illegally annexed Ukrainian areas, telling reporters it may be his only tool available.
"I think that Vladimir Putin finds himself in an incredibly difficult position. And what it reflects to me is it seems his only tool available to him is to brutalize individual citizens, in Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens to try to intimidate them into capitulating," Biden said Wednesday.
"They're not gonna do that," he added
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
Oct 19, 2022, 8:31 AM EDT
Putin announces he is imposing martial law in four occupied Ukrainian territories
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he will impose martial law in four Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye. All four regions were illegally annexed by Putin last month.
Marital law grants Russia’s authorities huge powers over the civilian population in the regions it is imposed. Martial law is set to go into effect on Thursday.
The decree, which Putin announced during a televised meeting with his security council, will now be sent to be rubber stamped by Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, the Federation Council.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link at a residence outside Moscow, Oct. 19, 2022.
Sputnik/Sergey Ilyin/Kremlin via Reuters
Putin has also granted new powers to governors in several regions bordering Ukraine.
Putin’s decree includes other points ordering the rest of Russia itself put into various levels of "readiness."
The decree puts eight regions bordering Ukraine into a state of "moderate level of response," but also imposes a "level of heightened readiness" in the southern and central regions that include Moscow. All other Russians regions are put on a "basic level of readiness."
The decree says these statuses grant special powers to local authorities that are similar to martial law and includes points imposing increased security at key facilities, puts transport and communications into a special regime and also envisages the creation of "territorial defense headquarters" in some regions.
-ABC News' Anastasia Bagaeva and Patrick Reevell
Oct 19, 2022, 7:35 AM EDT
Russian civilians to evacuate Kherson
Russia has announced the mass evacuation of civilians from the key city of Kherson, as well as all of its civilian occupation administration there.
Russia’s newly appointed overall commander for its war in Ukraine, General Sergey Surovikin, said on Tuesday that “difficult decisions” may have to be made in the near future regarding Russia’s position in Kherson. In his first public remarks since his appointment, he said the situation around Kherson was already “extremely difficult.”
The evacuation combined with Surovikin’s comments has fueled speculation that Russia may be preparing to retreat from the city in the face of a Ukrainian offensive, in what would be a major defeat for President Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Samara Region Governor Dmitry Azarov during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 18, 2022.
Gavriil Grigorov/AP
Other Russian officials though have suggested the evacuation is in preparation of Russian defense of the city. Kherson’s Russian-appointed governor on Wednesday denied Russia was planning to “give up” the city.
Another senior occupation official has said the battle for Kherson will begin in "very near future.”
Kherson is the only regional capital Russia managed to seize in its invasion and is a capital of one of the regions Putin annexed last month.
The city is located on the western side of the Dnieper river and Russian forces' position there has become increasingly difficult, after Ukraine succeeded in destroying the bridges needed to supply it.
With the bridges destroyed, thousands of Russian troops risk becoming surrounded in Kherson city and cut off from any supplies.
Russia has already begun evacuating civilians to the eastern side of the Dneipr river. Independent military researchers said Russia has quickly built a pontoon bridge near Kherson that could be used for evacuation or re-supplies.
The Russian-appointed governor said around 60,000 civilians will be evacuated, over the course of 7 days.
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell
Oct 18, 2022, 5:14 PM EDT
Russia trying to make Ukrainians 'suffer,' US officials say
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian power stations shows Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to make Ukrainians "suffer" with deliberate attacks, speaking of attacks on Ukrainian power stations.
"He is trying to make sure that the Ukrainian people suffer," Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Tuesday. "He's making it very difficult for them."
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder echoed those comments, saying Russia is trying to "inflict pain" on Ukrainian civilians with its strikes on population centers and infrastructure.
"We do continue to see them target, among other things, civilian infrastructure, to include energy related targets -- power grids, for example," Ryder said.
He added, "In terms of why we think they're targeting those areas, I think obviously trying to inflict pain on the civilian society as well as try to have an impact on Ukrainian forces."
