The trip was Putin's first-ever visit to the Donbas region, which Russia illegally annexed last year. It followed the International Criminal Court's decision to issue a warrant for him on war crimes.
The ICC has issued warrants for the Russian president and his children's rights commissioner for alleged war crimes involving accusations that Russia has forcibly taken Ukrainian children.
The United States accused Russia of an "unsafe" and "unprofessional" intercept of its MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone that forced it to be brought down over the Black Sea this week
A Russian barrage on Ukrainian targets Thursday included the use of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile — a weapon that can travel four times the speed of sound and is thought to be nuclear-capable.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station was among the Ukrainian structures damaged by a barrage of Russian missiles on Wednesday. Though power has been restored, the threat of nuclear meltdown remains.
Ukrainian officials say at least six people were killed in Lviv and other cities in a Russian bombardment that included advanced Kinzhal missiles, which air defenses can't shoot down.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as "Putin's Chef" because of his company's origins in the catering business, now fields a mercenary army of 50,000. Its role in Ukraine is central to Russia's war effort.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia was not the aggressor in the Ukraine war, but that his country was simply trying to defend itself, to which the crowd laughed and groaned.
Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered equally horrific losses in the war. But when it comes to troop strength, the math is on Russia's side. Its population is four times Ukraine's.
The war in Ukraine is also playing out online, where Russia is using propaganda, fake accounts, and manipulated videos and images to deflect blame and undermine support for Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a surprise visit to Ukraine and announced $1.25 billion in economic aid as the country's war with Russia goes into its second year.
Residents of the Russian-speaking city became partisans who fought for the independence of Ukraine. The nine-month occupation is over, but Russia continues to shell the city.
Russia's military has performed poorly, and Ukraine has defied expectations. But will these trends hold? Experts look at how the war could take a different path in its second year.