CNN —
The war in Ukraine could soon enter a new, even more dangerous phase.
Russia, angry over the loss of its Black Sea Fleet flagship, has warned of “unpredictable consequences” if US continues supplying weapons to Ukraine, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a somber note telling CNN the world should be prepared for the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons.
The sinking of the guided-missile cruiser Moskva on Thursday is the biggest wartime loss of a naval ship in 40 years – and a huge embarrassment for Russia.
It comes at a time when US intelligence officials are warning about Putin’s increasingly unpredictable behavior and willingness to take risks due to his anger over Russia’s failures in Ukraine.
While Moscow has denied the Ukrainian version of events – that the Moskva sunk after being struck by Ukrainian missiles – it was nevertheless forced to admit the ship went down.
Russia has insisted the reason for the sinking was a fire, but the US on Friday confirmed Ukraine’s account, with a senior defense official saying that the US believes that two Ukrainian Neptune missiles hit the Russian warship.
As the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva was one of its most visible assets in the Ukraine war and its loss could impact the morale of Russian troops. Tellingly, the Russian government has not acknowledged casualties in the sinking of the ship, a marked contrast to the very public discussion about the Kursk submarine disaster, which claimed the lives of 118 sailors in 2000.
Russia may have extinguished independent media, but the loss of the Moskva has likely made Putin even more furious about the situation in Ukraine. US officials believe Putin is angry over the failures of his troops in Ukraine. They believe Putin’s advisers have not been telling him the full truth and did not prepare him for potential setbacks.
The warship fiasco comes just weeks after top Russian military officials announced a shift in the focus of the invasion after their offensive appeared to have stalled around major Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv. Russia has also failed to achieve complete air superiority in Ukraine and has suffered heavy losses of personnel since the start of the invasion.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images
Women clean inside a damaged building at the Vizar company military-industrial complex in Vyshneve, Ukraine, on Friday, April 15. The site on the outskirts of Kyiv was hit by Russian strikes.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters
Firefighters work at a burning building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, following a missile attack near the Kharkiv International Airport on Tuesday, April 12.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters
Mourners react in Stebnyk, Ukraine, during the funeral ceremony of Ukrainian serviceman Roman Tiaka. Tiaka was 47.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Ukrainian forces fire rockets toward Russian positions in Ukraine’s Donbas region on Sunday, April 10. Fighting has been intensifying in the east of the country.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A man lays flowers at a railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Saturday, April 9. At least 50 people were killed after Russian forces carried out a missile strike on the railway station, Ukrainian officials said. They said the station was being used by civilians trying to flee the fighting.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A man works to catalog some of the bodies of civilians who were killed in and around Bucha, Ukraine. Shocking images showing the bodies of civilians scattered across the streets of Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, sparked international outrage and raised the urgency of ongoing investigations into alleged Russian war crimes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Russian leaders to be held accountable for the actions of the nation’s military. The Russian Ministry of Defense, without evidence, claimed the extensive footage of Bucha was “fake.”
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Search and rescue teams remove debris after the Ukrainian army regained control of Borodianka, Ukraine, on April 6.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images
People wait to board a train as they flee Kramatorsk on April 5.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Matthew Hatcher/SOPA Images/Sipa USA/AP
Destruction is seen in Borodianka, Ukraine, on April 5. Borodianka was home to 13,000 people before the war, but most fled after Russia’s invasion. What was left of the town, after intense shelling and devastating airstrikes, was then occupied by Russian forces.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media about the alleged atrocities in Bucha on April 4. “It’s very difficult to negotiate when you see what (the Russians) have done here,” Zelensky emphasized as he stood in the town, surrounded by security.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Anna Zhelisko touches the casket of her grandson, Ukrainian soldier Dmitry Zhelisko, as it arrives for his funeral in Chervonohrad, Ukraine, on April 3. He died fighting the Russian army near the town of Kharkiv.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Petros Giannakouris/AP
Smoke rises over Odesa, Ukraine, on April 3. The Russian defense ministry confirmed a strike on an oil refinery and fuel storage facilities in the port city.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
Bodies lie on a street in Bucha on April 2. Images captured by Agence France-Presse showed at least 20 civilian men dead.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian serviceman stands with a handcuffed Russian soldier in Kharkiv on March 31.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Maxar Technologies
A satellite image shows a shelled warehouse that was being used by the Red Cross in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 29.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Arda Kucukkaya/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet in Istanbul for talks on March 29. Russia said it would “drastically reduce” its military assault on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv. The announcement came after Ukrainian and Western intelligence assessments recently suggested that Russia’s advance on Kyiv was stalling. The talks also covered other important issues, including the future of the eastern Donbas region, the fate of Crimea, a broad alliance of security guarantors and a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Rodrigo Abd/AP
A woman named Julia cries next to her 6-year-old daughter, Veronika, while talking to the press in Brovary, Ukraine, on March 29.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Petros Giannakouris/AP
The regional government headquarters of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, is damaged following a Russian attack on March 29. At least nine people were killed, according to the Mykolaiv regional media office’s Telegram channel.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
An armored convoy of pro-Russian troops travel on a road leading to Mariupol on March 28.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A volunteer weaves a bulletproof vest in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 28.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sedat Suna/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A woman lights a candle during the Sunday service at a monastery in Odesa on March 27.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A Ukrainian serviceman stands in a heavily damaged building in Stoyanka, Ukraine, on March 27.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Orphaned children travel by train after fleeing the Russian-controlled town of Polohy, Ukraine, on March 26.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Felipe Dana/AP
A man recovers items from a burning shop following a Russian attack in Kharkiv on March 25.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Denzel/Bundesregierung/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses world leaders via video at the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, on March 24. Zelensky stopped short of issuing his usual request for a no-fly zone, but he did say Ukraine needs fighter jets, tanks and better air defenses.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Pavlo Palamarchuk/Reuters
A child holds a Ukrainian flag in front of the Taras Shevchenko monument as members of the Ukrainian National Guard band perform in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A firefighter sprays water inside a house that was destroyed by shelling in Kyiv on March 23.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ivor Prickett/The New York Times/Redux
Svetlana Ilyuhina looks at the wreckage of her home in Kyiv following a Russian rocket attack on March 23. “First there was smoke, and then everything went black,” she said.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters
Pictures lie amid the rubble of a house in Kyiv on March 23.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A woman cleans up a room March 21 in a building that was damaged by bombing in Kyiv.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The Retroville shopping mall is seen in Kyiv after Russian shelling on March 21.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
People share dinner and sing “Happy Birthday” during a celebration in Kyiv on March 20. This studio space has turned into a bomb shelter for approximately 25 artists who are volunteering to help the war effort.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Former Ukrainian Parliament member Tetiana Chornovol, now a service member and operator of an anti-tank guided missile system, examines a Russian tank she destroyed in a recent battle in the Kyiv region.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian serviceman stands among debris after shelling in a residential area in Kyiv on March 18.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
White House Photo
US President Joe Biden holds a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in this photo that was released by the White House on March 18. Biden sought to use the 110-minute call to dissuade Xi from assisting Russia in its war on Ukraine.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Dmytro Smolyenko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Reuters
Staff members attend to a child at a children’s hospital in Zaporizhzhia on March 18.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
ALEXANDER VILF/POOL/AFP/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a rally at a stadium in Moscow on March 18. Speaking from a stage in front of a banner that read “for a world without Nazism,” Putin said Russia “will definitely implement all our plans” in Ukraine. He insisted that national unity was the strongest in a long time, even as many people flee Russia or protest against war in the streets. State workers were told by authorities to attend the celebration, which commemorated the eighth year of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Drew Angerer/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receives a standing ovation as he virtually addresses the US Congress on March 16. The historic speech occurred as the United States is under pressure to provide more military assistance to the embattled country.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Felipe Dana/AP
An elderly woman is helped by police officers after she was rescued from an apartment that was hit by shelling in Kyiv on March 15.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Felipe Dana/AP
Firefighters work to extinguish flames at an apartment building in Kyiv on March 15.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Bernat Armangue/AP
Military cadets attend a funeral ceremony at a church in Lviv on March 15. The funeral was for four of the Ukrainian servicemen who were killed during an airstrike on the Yavoriv military base near the Polish border. Local authorities say 35 people were killed.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
A woman walks past a damaged window to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial for victims in Donetsk, Ukraine, on March 15.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Felipe Dana/AP
Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 13.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alex Lourie/Redux
A Ukrainian soldier surveys a destroyed government building in Kharkiv on March 13.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
A mother and son rest in Lviv, Ukraine, while waiting to board a train to Poland on March 12.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
An explosion is seen at an apartment building in Mariupol on March 11. The city in southeastern Ukraine has been besieged by Russian forces.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valeria Ferraro/SOPA Images/Sipa USA/AP
People pay their respects during a funeral service for three Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv on March 11. Senior Soldier Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39; Senior Lt. Taras Didukh, 25; and Sgt. Dmytro Kabakov, 58, were laid to rest at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church. Even in this sacred space, the sounds of war intruded: an air raid siren audible under the sound of prayer and weeping. Yet no one stirred. Residents are now inured to the near-daily warnings of an air attack.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gives a news conference after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya, Turkey, on March 10. Two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lavrov falsely claimed that his country “did not attack” its neighbor.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A resident takes shelter in a basement in Irpin on March 10. Due to heavy fighting, Irpin has been without heat, water or electricity for several days.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol on March 9. With overflowing morgues and repeated shelling, the city has been unable to hold proper burials.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Cars drive past a destroyed Russian tank as civilians leave Irpin on March 9. A Ukrainian official said lines of vehicles stretched for miles as people tried to escape fighting in districts to the north and northwest of Kyiv.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed on a screen as he addresses British lawmakers via video on March 8. “We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost,” he said in his comments translated by an interpreter. The House of Commons gave Zelensky a standing ovation at the end of his address.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A firefighter works to extinguish flames after a chemical warehouse was reportedly hit by Russian shelling near Kalynivka, Ukraine, on March 8.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Members of the Red Cross help people fleeing the Kyiv suburb of Irpin on March 7.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Diego Herrera Carcedo/AP
The dead bodies of civilians killed while trying to flee are covered by sheets in Irpin on March 6. CNN determined they were killed in a Russian military strike.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alex Lourie/Redux
Civilians seek protection in a basement bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 6.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Local residents help clear the rubble of a home that was destroyed by a suspected Russian airstrike in Markhalivka, Ukraine, on March 5.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Salwan Georges/The Washington Post/Getty Images
George Keburia says goodbye to his wife and children as they board a train in Odesa on March 5. They were heading to Lviv.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images
A statue is covered in Lviv on March 5. Residents wrapped statues in protective sheets to try to safeguard historic monuments across the city.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee across the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 5.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Marina Yatsko runs behind her boyfriend, Fedor, as they arrive at the hospital with her 18-month-old son, Kirill, who was wounded by shelling in Mariupol on March 4. Medical workers frantically tried to save the boy’s life, but he didn’t survive.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
People remove personal belongings from a burning house after shelling in Irpin on March 4.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Oksana and her son Dmytro stand over the open casket of her husband, Volodymyr Nezhenets, during his funeral in Kyiv on March 4. According to the Washington Post, he was a member of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, which is comprised mostly of volunteers.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People crowd on a platform as they try to board a westbound train in Kyiv on March 4.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
A bullet-ridden bus is seen after an ambush in Kyiv on March 4.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
People take shelter on the floor of a hospital during shelling in Mariupol on March 4.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A member of the Ukrainian military gives instructions to civilians in Irpin on March 4. They were about to board an evacuation train headed to Kyiv.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Zaporizhzhya NPP/YouTube/Reuters
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian child rests on a bed at a temporary refugee center in Záhony, Hungary, on March 4.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Maksim Levin/Reuters
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Leos Leonid recovers at a hospital in Kyiv on March 3. The 64-year-old survived being crushed when an armored vehicle drove over his car. Video of the incident was widely shared on social media.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A Ukrainian soldier carries a baby across a destroyed bridge on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 3.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images
Residents react in front of a burning building after shelling in Kharkiv on March 3.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A Ukrainian soldier who says he was shot three times in the opening days of the invasion sits on a hospital bed in Kyiv on March 3.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Diego Herrera/Europa Press/Getty Images
People form a human chain to transfer supplies into Kyiv on March 3.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A cemetery worker digs graves for Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv on March 3.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A mother cares for her two infant sons in the underground shelter of a maternity hospital in Kyiv on March 3. She gave birth a day earlier, and she and her husband haven’t yet decided on names for the twins.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Mikhail Palinchak/Reuters
A member of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces sits with a weapon in Kyiv on March 2.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Paramedics treat an elderly woman wounded by shelling before transferring her to a hospital in Mariupol on March 2.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters
Residents of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, work in the remains of a residential building on March 2. The building was destroyed by shelling.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A member of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces inspects damage in the backyard of a house in Gorenka on March 2.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A Ukrainian woman takes her children over the border in Siret, Romania, on March 2. Many Ukrainians are fleeing the country at a pace that could turn into “Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century,” the United Nations Refugee Agency said.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Militia members set up anti-tank barricades in Kyiv on March 2.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Murat Saka/dia images/Getty Images
People wait at a train station in Kyiv on March 2.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People shelter in a subway station in Kyiv on March 2.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Umit Bektas/Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses for a picture in a Kyiv bunker after an exclusive interview with CNN and Reuters on March 1. Zelensky said that as long as Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian cities continued, little progress could be made in talks between the two nations. “It’s important to stop bombing people, and then we can move on and sit at the negotiation table,” he said.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Carlos Barria/Reuters
An explosion is seen at a TV tower in Kyiv on March 1. Russian forces fired rockets near the tower and struck a Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv hours after warning of “high-precision” strikes on other facilities linked to Ukrainian security agencies.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Raphael Lafargue/Abaca/Sipa/AP
Ukrainian soldiers attend Mass at an Orthodox monastery in Kyiv on March 1.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Medical workers show a mother her newborn after she gave birth at a maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 1. The hospital is now also used as a medical ward and bomb shelter.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
An administrative building is seen in Kharkiv after Russian shelling on March 1. Russian forces have scaled up their bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Pavel Dorogoy/AP
Ukrainian emergency workers carry a body of a victim following shelling that hit the City Hall building in Kharkiv on March 1.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A woman named Helen comforts her 8-year-old daughter, Polina, in the bomb shelter of a Kyiv children’s hospital on March 1. The girl was at the hospital being treated for encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Visar Kryeziu/AP
Ukrainian refugees try to stay warm at the Medyka border crossing in Poland on March 1.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Volunteers in Kyiv sign up to join Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces on February 28.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A member of the Territorial Defense Forces loads rifle magazines in Kyiv on February 28.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexandr Kryazhev/Sputnik/AP
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine hold talks in Belarus on February 28. Both sides discussed a potential “ceasefire and the end of combat actions on the territory of Ukraine,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhaylo Podolyak told reporters. Without going into detail, Podolyak said that both sides would return to their capitals for consultations over whether to implement a number of “decisions.”
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Akos Stiller/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A displaced Ukrainian cradles her child at a temporary shelter set up inside a gymnasium in Beregsurány, Hungary, on February 28.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Ukrainian forces order a man to the ground on February 28 as they increased security measures amid Russian attacks in Kyiv.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke billows over the Ukrainian city of Vasylkiv, just outside Kyiv on February 27. A fire at an oil storage area was seen raging at the Vasylkiv Air Base.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Bernat Armangue/AP
People wait on a platform inside the railway station in Lviv on February 27. Thousands of people at Lviv’s main train station attempted to board trains that would take them out of Ukraine.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Marienko Andrew/AP
A Russian armored vehicle burns after fighting in Kharkiv on February 27. Street fighting broke out as Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, and residents were urged to stay in shelters and not travel.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Serhii Hudak/Reuters
Local residents prepare Molotov cocktails in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on February 27.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Natalie Thomas/Reuters
Cars line up on the road outside Mostyska, Ukraine, as people attempt to flee to Poland on February 27.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Ukrainian troops in Kyiv escort a prisoner February 27 who they suspected of being a Russian agent.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Maksim Levin/Reuters
Ukrainian service members take position at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on February 27.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A woman sleeps on chairs February 27 in the underground parking lot of a Kyiv hotel that has been turned into a bomb shelter.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images
An apartment building in Kyiv is seen after it was damaged by shelling on February 26. The outer walls of several apartment units appeared to be blown out entirely, with the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Pierre Crom/Getty Images
A police vehicle patrols the streets of Kyiv on February 26.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times/Redux
Following a national directive to help complicate the invading Russian Army’s attempts to navigate, a road worker removes signs near Pisarivka, Ukraine, on February 26.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
From Telegram
A man kneels in front of a Russian tank in Bakhmach, Ukraine, on February 26 as Ukrainian citizens attempted to stop the tank from moving forward. The dramatic scene was captured on video, and CNN confirmed its authenticity. The moment drew comparisons to the iconic “Tank Man” of Tiananmen Square.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Pierre Crom/Getty Images
People in Kyiv board a train heading to the west of the country on February 26. Kelly Clements, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, told CNN that more than 120,000 people had left Ukraine while 850,000 were internally displaced.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after fighting in Kyiv on February 26.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Smoke and flames are seen near Kyiv on February 26. Explosions were seen and heard in parts of the capital as Ukrainians battled to hold back advancing Russian troops.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
The body of a Russian soldier lies next to a Russian vehicle outside Kharkiv on February 25.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Mikhail Palinchak/AP
Newly married couple Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin pose for photo in Kyiv on February 25 after they joined the Territorial Defense Forces.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv on February 25.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People walk past a residential building in Kyiv that was hit in an alleged Russian airstrike on February 25.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
The body of a school employee, who according to locals was killed in recent shelling, lies in the separatist-controlled town of Horlivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on February 25.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Kyiv residents take shelter in an underground parking garage on February 25.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images
The body of a rocket remains in an apartment after shelling on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A wounded woman stands outside a hospital after an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuhuiv, outside of Kharkiv, on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
A boy plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Christian Streib/CNN
Sviatoslav Fursin, left, and Yaryna Arieva kneel during their wedding ceremony at the St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kyiv on February 24. They had planned on getting married in May, but they rushed to tie the knot due to the attacks by Russian forces. “We maybe can die, and we just wanted to be together before all of that,” Arieva said.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian service members sit atop armored vehicles driving in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People in Kyiv try to board a bus to travel west toward Poland on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
US President Joe Biden arrives in the East Room of the White House to address the Russian invasion on February 24. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Biden said, laying out a set of measures that will “impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.”
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke rises from a military airport in Chuhuiv on February 24. Airports were also hit in Boryspil, Kharkiv, Ozerne, Kulbakino, Kramatorsk and Chornobaivka.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
People seek shelter inside a subway station in Kharkiv on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
From Telegram
Russian military vehicles are seen at the Chernobyl power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, on February 24. Russian forces have seized control of the the plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, according to the agency that manages the area.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People wait after boarding a bus to leave Kyiv on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Zelensky holds an emergency meeting in Kyiv on February 24. In a video address, Zelensky announced that he was introducing martial law. He urged people to remain calm.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Police officers inspect the remains of a missile that landed in Kyiv on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ethan Swope/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A staff member of a Kyiv hotel talks on the phone on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Smoke rises from an air defense base after an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol on February 24. A CNN team in Mariupol reported hearing a barrage of artillery.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
People wait in line to buy train tickets at the central station in Kyiv on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
A long line of cars is seen exiting Kyiv on February 24. Heavy traffic appeared to be heading west, away from where explosions were heard early in the morning.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ukrainian President’s Office
A photo provided by the Ukrainian President’s office appears to show an explosion in Kyiv early on February 24.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergei Illnitsky/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
People in Moscow watch a televised address by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he announces a military operation in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on February 24. “Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history,” he said.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is held in New York to discuss the crisis on February 23. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop “attacking Ukraine” and to give peace a chance.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A convoy of Russian military vehicles is seen February 23 in the Rostov region of Russia, which runs along Ukraine’s eastern border.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Ukrainian soldiers talk in a shelter at the front line near Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, on February 23.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
Smoke rises from a damaged power plant in Shchastya that Ukrainian authorities say was hit by shelling on February 22.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
A damaged house is worked on after shelling near the Ukrainian front-line city of Novoluhanske on February 22.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Mourners gather at a church in Kyiv on February 22 for the funeral of Ukrainian Army Capt. Anton Sydorov. The Ukrainian military said he was killed by a shrapnel wound on February 19 after several rounds of artillery fire were directed at Ukrainian positions near Myronivske.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Christopher Occhicone/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A sign displays conversion rates at a currency exchange kiosk in Kyiv on February 22. Global markets tumbled the day after Putin ordered troops into parts of eastern Ukraine.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
The New York Times/Redux
Russian howitzers are loaded onto train cars near Taganrog, Russia, on February 22.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
People who left a separatist-held region in eastern Ukraine watch an address by Putin from their hotel room in Taganrog, Russia, on February 21. Putin blasted Kyiv’s growing security ties with the West, and in lengthy remarks about the history of the USSR and the formation of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, he appeared to cast doubt on Ukraine’s right to self-determination.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin/Pool/AP
Putin signs decrees recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in a ceremony in Moscow on February 21. Earlier in the day, the heads of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics requested the Kremlin leader recognize their independence and sovereignty. Members of Putin’s Security Council supported the initiative in a meeting earlier in the day.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Protesters demanding economic sanctions against Russia stand outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv on February 21. Only a small number of protesters showed up to demonstrate.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Activists hold a performance in front of the Russian embassy in Kyiv on February 21 in support of prisoners who were arrested in Crimea. They say the red doors are a symbol of the doors that were kicked in to search and arrest Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Aleksey Filippov/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian servicemen shop in the front-line town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, on February 21.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Ali Atmaca/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
People lay flowers at the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 21.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
A couple arrives at the city council to get married in Odesa on February 20. As Ukrainian authorities reported further ceasefire violations and top Western officials warned about an impending conflict, life went on in other parts of the country.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy, left, visits soldiers at a front-line position in Novoluhanske on February 19. Minutes after he left, the position came under fire. No one was injured.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Andrey Borodulin/AFP/Getty Images
A woman rests in a car near a border checkpoint in Avilo-Uspenka, Russia, on February 19.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A Ukrainian service member walks by a building on February 19 that was hit by mortar fire in the front-line village of Krymske, Ukraine.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Peter Kovalev/TASS/Getty Images
Fighter jets fly over Belarus during a joint military exercise the country held with Russia on February 19.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a military command center in Novoluhanske on February 19.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
People sit on a bus in Donetsk on February 18 after they were ordered to evacuate to Russia by pro-Russian separatists.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Nikolai Trishin/TASS/Getty Images
The remains of a military vehicle are seen in a parking lot outside a government building following an explosion in Donetsk on February 18. Ukrainian and US officials said the vehicle explosion was a staged attack designed to stoke tensions in eastern Ukraine.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A memorial service and candlelight vigil is held at the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on February 18. They honored those who died in 2014 while protesting against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian leader who later fled the country.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Carlos Barria/Reuters
A kindergarten that officials say was damaged by shelling is seen in Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine, on February 17. No lives were lost, but it was a stark reminder of the stakes for people living near the front lines that separate Ukrainian government forces from Russian-backed separatists.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Children play on old Soviet tanks in front of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 16.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Ambassadors of European countries lay roses at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv on February 16. The wall contains the names and photographs of military members who have died since the conflict with Russian-backed separatists began in 2014.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Wojtek Radawanski/AFP/Getty Images
US troops walk on the tarmac at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland on February 16. US paratroopers landed in Poland as part of a deployment of several thousand sent to bolster NATO’s eastern flank in response to tensions with Russia.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A 200-meter-long Ukrainian flag is unfolded at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on February 16 to mark a “Day of Unity,” an impromptu celebration declared by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Travelers wait in line to check in to their departing flights February 15 at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv. US President Joe Biden urged Americans in Ukraine to leave the country, warning that “things could go crazy quickly” in the region.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times/Redux
A location of Oschadbank, a state-owned bank, is seen in Kyiv on February 15. The websites of Oschadbank and PrivatBank, the country’s two largest banks, were hit by cyberattacks that day, as were the websites of Ukraine’s defense ministry and army, according to Ukrainian government agencies.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A woman and child walk underneath a military monument in Senkivka, Ukraine, on February 14. It’s on the outskirts of the Three Sisters border crossing between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian service members talk at a front-line position in eastern Ukraine on February 14.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Members of Ukraine’s National Guard look out a window as they ride a bus through the capital of Kyiv on February 14.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Satellite images taken on February 13 by Maxar Technologies revealed that dozens of helicopters had appeared at a previously vacant airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Svetlana Kisileva/Abaca/Sip/AP
Pro-Russian separatists observe the movement of Ukrainian troops from trenches in Ukraine’s Donbas area on February 11.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Ukrainian service members unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles that were delivered to Kyiv on February 10 as part of a US military support package for Ukraine.
Photos: Russia invades Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Ukrainian service members walk on an armored fighting vehicle during a training exercise in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on February 10.
Russia was quick to strike back.
Ukraine’s Operational Command South said in a statement early Saturday that the situation in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv and Kherson regions was “increasingly hostile.”
“Desperately trying to gain a foothold and hold on to the positions of the southern front, the world’s most shameful army is pursuing civilians in Mykolayiv and Kherson regions. The work of snipers has been recorded in some areas.”
The statement said Russian forces were “enraged by the losses in the Black Sea” and had “intensified the missile threat” in the region.
Natalia Humeniuk, the spokeswoman for the armed forces in southern Ukraine, said that the missile attacks since Thursday night were in retaliation for the Moskva sinking.
“We all realize that we will not be forgiven,” she said, accusing Russia of using “cluster munitions prohibited by international conventions.”
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has previously said it had received credible allegations that Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions in populated areas in Ukraine. The nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also confirmed Russia’s use of cluster munitions throughout the conflict.
Zelensky has on Friday praised the Ukrainian armed forces for repelling Russian attacks, saying they were “doing it brilliantly.”
Zelensky has also praised the help Ukraine was getting from western countries, but has asked for more weapons to be shipped to the country. “The more and the sooner we get all the weapons we have requested, the stronger our position will be and the sooner peace will come,” he said.
More weapons for Ukraine
In another sign that the war in Ukraine is not going the way Russia has planned, Moscow has formally protested America’s ongoing shipment of weapons to Ukraine. It sent a diplomatic note to the State Department warning of “unpredictable consequences” should the support continue, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the document.
Some Biden administration officials believe that the diplomatic note shows the Russians are hurting, one official said. The official explained that they believe the Russians would not have sent that message if they felt they were in a strong place on the battlefield.
The note, known as a demarche, was sent earlier this week as the US administration was preparing to announce that it would be sending a new military aid package worth $800 million to the Ukrainians. The EU has also approved an additional 500 million euros for military equipment for Ukraine.
For the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US is providing Kyiv with high-power capabilities that some Biden administration officials viewed as too much of an escalation risk a few short weeks ago.
These include Mi-17 helicopters, 18 155 mm Howitzers and 300 more Switchblade drones. These types of weapons are designed for the type of fighting that’s likely to take place in the Donbas region — open terrain rather than urban and wooded areas.
The Ukrainian military and regional officials have said Russian attacks have intensified in Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the east of the country as they prepare for a major ground offensive there.
Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk region military administration, has warned civilians who remain in Luhansk to leave the area. “It is extremely dangerous to stay in the cities now. The shelling intensified,” he said.
The Ukrainian armed forces General Staff said that “the main focus of the Russian enemy is on the regrouping and strengthening of troops” around Slobozhansky, an area that is a short distance south of Kharkiv.
In the same area, according to the General Staff, Russian forces have concentrated up to 22 battalion tactical groups around Izium. A battalion tactical group normally comprises about 1,000 troops.
CNN’s Julia Presniakova, Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych, Nathan Hodge, Celine Alkhaldi, Ben Wedeman, Kareem Khadder, Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Katie Bo Lillis, Kaitlan Collins, Kylie Atwood and Sean Lyngaas contributed reporting.