AOL Web Search

This uptick in violence comes amid news that an American medic was killed while evacuating civilians in the eastern city of Bakhmut.

STORY: The bodies of British volunteer aid workers Andrew Bagshaw and Chris Parry have been returned to Ukraine, a Ukrainian official said on Saturday (February 4). That's as Russia and Ukraine traded almost 200 prisoners in a swap announced separately by both sides. Parry and Bradshaw were killed during an attempted humanitarian evacuation in eastern Ukraine, Parry's family has said. Sky News reported Bagshaw's family as saying the volunteers were killed while trying to rescue an elderly woman from the town of Soledar. Ukrainian police had said the two men were reported missing on January 7. Soledar, which had a pre-war population of 10,000, became the epicentre of Russia's assault for several weeks in the beginning of January. Last month Ukraine confirmed its troops had withdrawn from the town. The Ukrainian president's chief of staff announced that the bodies had been handed over. He also said on social media that 116 Ukrainian prisoners of war had returned. Russian news agencies cited Moscow's defense ministry saying 63 Russian prisoners had been freed.

Right now, Russia and Ukraine are locked in fierce fighting in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut. Debora Patta has more on the battle for Bakhmut and how technology is crucial to the fight.

The Biden administration announces another $2 billion in aid to Kyiv, including precision guided rockets and artillery ammunition.

Russian missile attacks on a residential building in Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed several people and injured dozens more.

STORY: Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine on Friday (February 3) as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hosted European Union leaders to discuss more sanctions on Russia. And Ukraine's prospects of joining the bloc. With thick snow falling, commission president Ursula von der Leyen visited an EU-backed energy-efficient light bulb scheme to reduce demand on a power grid damaged by Russian attacks. And foreign policy chief Josep Borrell toured a demining site. It was a show of support as the first anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches on February 24. But the EU is not expected to fast-track Ukraine's membership while it is at war, as Kyiv wants. It applied to join the bloc days after the invasion. Instead, the process is likely to take years - EU officials have listed multiple membership requirements, from political and economic stability to adopting various EU laws. "If there was needed a living proof that Russia is suffering a massive strategic failure, but Ukraine is withstanding, and is building its path towards the European Union, well, the fact that we are here, for the 24th summit, Ukraine-European Union, amidst the war, but we are building, discussing and developing the future of Ukraine in the European Union -- that is speaking more than a thousand words." Zelenskiy wants more punitive measures against Russia by the European Union, but the next set of sanctions the bloc is preparing for the anniversary are expected to fall short of his demands. He also stressed the need to tighten sanctions. “We are very interested in making sure that Russia does not have a chance to restore its military capacity. Sanctions have slowed down this process. We have a clear understanding of what number of missiles were produced before the full-fledged invasion and what is happening now thanks to the EU, U.S., British sanctions and sanctions by other partners. That is why it is very important for us to make sure they cannot find ways to bypass sanctions, something they do thanks to other countries.” As well as the next round of sanctions, they discussed more arms, money and energy support, better access for Ukrainian products in the EU market, and efforts to prosecute Russian war crimes.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges U.S. lawmakers to stay the course with aide to Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin invoked the victory over Nazi Germany to justify his invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops are readying for a renewed onslaught as the Kremlin tries to reshape the battlefield. Debora Patta has more.

Every year for nearly 20 years a groundhog in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine has been awoken on February 2 to help predict the upcoming spring. (Feb. 2)

Nearly one year since Russia's invasion, Ukrainian officials said they're bracing for a major new offensive later in February. Meanwhile, senior EU officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday ahead of a major summit set for Friday. CBS News foreign correspondent Ramy Inocencio joined Elaine Quijano and Lana Zak to discuss.

STORY: Local authorities initially said Russia had fired a rocket but the police force later said an Iskander-K tactical missile had struck at 9.45 pm local time (1945 GMT). "At least eight apartment buildings were damaged. One of them was completely destroyed," police said in a Facebook post. "People may remain under the rubble." At least 44 people were killed last month when a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the eastern city of Dnipro.

STORY: Vadim Huttsait told Reuters it would be "unacceptable" for Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part under a neutral flag, after the International Olympic Committee opened the door to them competing in qualifiers for the Paris Games. "This is unacceptable for us, it is impossible for us at a time when the full-scale war is going on, when our athletes, our soldiers are defending our homeland, our land, defending their homes, their families, their parents," he said in an interview. He spoke in the Sports Ministry in Kyiv, standing by a wall decorated with the portraits of Ukrainian athletes who have been killed in the war launched by Russia last February. The Russian foreign ministry has said any attempt to squeeze Moscow out of international sport because of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine is "doomed to fail".

STORY: These murals aim to bring messages of hope and freedom to Ukraine Italian artist Tvboy painted them as part of the 'Ukraine Street Art project' during a week-long visit organized by a humanitarian organization (Vadym and Maria Moskalenko, Local residents) "I believe we need such art while the war is ongoing. People should see what we've been through and remember that the war is not over. People should keep in mind what price we've paid so far." "These murals depict patriotism and the invincibility of our spirit. We are patriots and this is what we need right now." (Natalia Vyshnivska, Blogger) "These artworks help us and even raise our mood a bit. We can see a balloon with 'freedom' written on it, which is something Ukraine will definitely get. Over there is a woman (depicted) sewing a Ukrainian flag, a symbol for all the volunteers and other people that support our troops, all believing in victory."

STORY: Stoltenberg was speaking in Seoul, the first stop on a trip that will also include Japan and is aimed at strengthening ties with Western allies in Asia in the face of the war in Ukraine and rising competition with China. Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine, but urged it to do more, adding there is an "urgent need" for ammunition. South Korea has signed major deals providing hundreds of tanks, aircraft and other weapons to NATO member Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine. But President Yoon Suk-yeol has said a South Korean law that forbids supplying weapons to countries engaged in conflict makes it difficult to send arms to Ukraine.