Russia-Ukraine updates: US to ban Russian carriers from its airspace

Biden will announce the news in his State of the Union address, a source said.

ByMorgan Winsor, Libby Cathey, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Emily Shapiro, Julia Jacobo, Ivan Pereira, Mark Osborne, Celia Darrough, Kevin Shalvey, and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: March 22, 2022, 4:04 AM EDT

Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24 as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."

Russians moving from Belarus towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, don't appear to have advanced closer towards the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the U.S., Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting Russia's economy and Putin himself.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 24, 2022, 8:33 AM EST

US troops in Poland will be deployed to border checkpoints with Ukraine, source says

U.S. Army soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division in Poland will be deployed to the checkpoints at the border with Ukraine to help with a possible surge in the flow of traffic, a military source with direct knowledge told ABC News on Thursday.

Their new mission is a change from their previous one of solely to "deter and assure," as a full-scale Russian invasion is now underway in neighboring Ukraine.

People wait at the Ukranian side of the border crossing between Poland and Ukraine, as seen from Medyka, Poland, Feb. 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine.
Kacper Pempel/Reuters

With Ukraine's airspace shut down, the source said they expect traffic at border checkpoints to increase significantly, including citizens of NATO member states. However, estimates on the number of potential refugees was unclear.

There are currently 5,200 U.S. troops currently in Poland, with another 300 en route from Germany. Although they are on slightly higher alert, there was no expectation of any engagement with the Russian forces attacking Ukraine.

-ABC News' Matt Gutman, Tomek Rolski and Robert Zepeda

Feb 24, 2022, 8:05 AM EST

At least 5 killed in Ukrainian military aircraft crash, officials say

A Ukrainian military aircraft carrying 14 people crashed in the Kyiv region on Thursday, killing at least five of them, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Rescuers work at the crash site of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Antonov aircraft, which, according to the State Emergency Service, was shot down in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
State Emergency Service via Reuters

The crash sparked a fire that has since been extinguished. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, the ministry said in a statement posted to its official Facebook page.

-ABC News' Julia Drozd

Feb 24, 2022, 7:52 AM EST

US oil tops $100 a barrel

U.S. crude oil prices topped $100 a barrel on Thursday morning, sending gasoline prices to an average of $3.54 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.

Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures plunged. Dow futures were down more than 700 points as of 10:47 a.m. ET.

The developments came amid ongoing attacks on Ukraine by Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer.

-ABC News' Zunaira Zaki

Feb 24, 2022, 7:31 AM EST

Ukraine temporarily disconnects from Russian, Belarusian energy systems

Ukraine's energy system has temporarily cut itself off from the power grids of neighboring Russia and Belarus, according to Ukrainian transmission system operator Ukrenergo.

Ukrenergo said in a statement Thursday that the country's system is now functioning independently and will continue to do so for the coming days as it tests for a future connection to the European network of transmission system operators.

The European Union's ambassador to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, took to Twitter to say the "controlled disconnection" was "perfect timing" and that the system is "operating autonomously under normal conditions."

"The assets of the main network are currently functioning without interruptions," Maasikas tweeted.

-ABC News' Anastasia Bagaeva

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