After ditching a car in Ukraine and walking to the Polish border, Sean Penn is describing his meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The actor, activist and director was reportedly in the country working on a documentary when Russian forces invaded. After leaving the country, Penn discussed his experience and his meeting with Ukraine's president during an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper."I don't know if he knew that he was born for this, but it was clear I was in the presence of something I think reflected of so many Ukrainians that was new, new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity and love, love that comes out of the man. And the way he has unified that country," Penn said of Zelenskyy. Penn called the experience "an extraordinary moment.""I was certainly impressed by (Zelenskyy) and terrified for him and for Ukraine," Penn said.

The Russian military initiated a temporary cease-fire in two areas of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate, Russian state media reported Saturday, the first breakthrough in allowing people to escape the war.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for the strategic port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern city of Volnovakha. The vaguely worded statement did not make clear how long the routes would remain open.

Here's the latest on the Ukraine-Russia conflict as of 5 a.m. (Eastern):

• The office of President Emmanuel Macron says France will soon propose concrete measures to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s five main nuclear sites.
• The U.N. Security Council will hold an open meeting Monday on the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine as the Russian offensive intensifies.
• The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is calling Russia's attack on a nuclear plant a war crime. Russian troops seized the plant Friday in an attack that set it on fire and briefly raised fears of a nuclear disaster. The blaze was extinguished and no radiation was released.
• The White House announced Friday that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Poland and Romania next week to meet with officials to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and impact the war is having on the region.

Mariupol had become the scene of growing misery amid days of shelling that knocked out most phone service and raised the prospect of food and water shortages.

Pavlo Kirilenko, head of the Donetsk military-civil administration that includes Mariupol, said the humanitarian corridor would extend from the city to Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles away.

The head of Ukraine’s security council, Oleksiy Danilov, had urged Russia to create humanitarian corridors to allow children, women and the older adults to flee the fighting, calling them “question No. 1.”

As Russian forces batter strategic locations elsewhere, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has lashed out at NATO for refusing to impose a no-fly zone over his country, warning that “all the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you.”

NATO said a no-fly zone could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia. But as the United States and other NATO members send weapons for Kyiv and more than 1 million refugees spill through the continent, the conflict is already drawing in countries far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Russia continues to crack down on independent media reporting on the war, also blocking Facebook and Twitter, and more outlets say they are pausing their work inside the country.

And in a warning of a hunger crisis yet to come, the U.N. World Food Program says millions of people inside Ukraine, a major global wheat supplier, will need food aid “immediately.”

Ukraine’s president was set to brief U.S. senators Saturday by video conference as Congress considers a request for $10 billion in emergency funding for humanitarian aid and security needs.

Video: Photos show Ukrainians fleeing as Russia presses on

In a bitter and emotional speech late Friday, Zelenskyy criticized NATO over the lack of a no-fly zone, warning that “the history of Europe will remember this forever.”

A no-fly zone would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier in the day ruled out that possibility. “The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes,” he said. “We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.”

In a separate video message to antiwar protesters in several European cities, Zelenskyy appealed for help. “If we fall, you will fall,” he said.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an open meeting for Monday on the worsening humanitarian situation. The United Nations estimates that 12 million people in Ukraine and 4 million fleeing to neighboring countries in the coming months will need humanitarian aid.

Russia's attack on Friday on Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant, in Zaporizhzhia, caused global alarm, but Russian forces did not make significant progress in their offensive to sever Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which would deal a severe blow to the country's economy.

A vast Russian armored column threatening Ukraine’s capital remained stalled outside Kyiv, but Russia's military has launched hundreds of missiles and artillery attacks on cities and other sites across the country.

Video: Pentagon calls Russian nuclear plant attack reckless

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said battles involving airstrikes and artillery continued northwest of Kyiv, and the northeastern cities of Kharkiv and Okhtyrka came under heavy fire. He said Ukrainian forces held the northern city of Chernihiv and the southern city of Mykolaiv and had defended the biggest port city, Odesa, from Russian ships.

As homes in Chernihiv burned from what locals described as Russian shelling, one resident accused Europe of merely looking on. “We wanted to join NATO and the EU and this is the price we are paying, and NATO cannot protect us," she said.

More than 840 children have been wounded in the invasion, and 28 have been killed, according to Ukraine’s government. At least 331 civilians have been confirmed killed, but the true number is probably much higher, the U.N. human rights office said.

Kyiv’s central train station remained crowded with people desperate to join the more than 1.2 million who have fled Ukraine. “People just want to live,” one woman, Ksenia, said.

ARLINGTON, Va. — A substitute teacher is suspended after he reportedly expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the classroom.

The Washington Post reports that John Stanton was substitute teaching a Spanish class in Virginia on Friday when he said he backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urged students to read Russian state propaganda outlets.

Stanton said he was offering students an opposing viewpoint, by telling them to read Sputnik News, which has been declared a “state-run propaganda machine” by the FBI, CIA and NSA.

According to the Washington Post, Stanton said, “I think that got me was I said, ‘I personally support the logic of Putin,’ and what I meant by that is, he made a rational decision from his perception.”

Parents wrote an email to the Arlington Public School Board detailing what the substitute teacher said, and adding there was a Ukrainian student in the class.

A spokesperson for Arlington Public Schools has declined to comment on Stanton’s employment status, calling it a personnel matter.

Stanton said he doesn’t plan to petition for reinstatement.

Video above: Liquor stores dump Russian vodka after invasion in Ukraine

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, many in the world have come together to protest the action.

That includes artists who were scheduled to perform in Russia.

The following is a list of musicians who have canceled their shows:

Green Day

The punk-infused rock band had been scheduled to play Moscow's Spartak Stadium in May as part of their Hella Mega Tour.

On Sunday they announced on their verified Instagram account that they were canceling.

"We are aware that this moment is not about stadium rock shows, it's so much bigger than that," their posted statement read. "But we also know that rock and roll is forever and we feel confident there will be a time and a place for us to return in the future. Refunds available at the point of purchase. Stay safe."

AJR

Indie pop trio AJR tweeted on Feb. 25 they were canceling a show scheduled in Moscow for October, along with some words of wisdom about misinformation.

"We are sad to announce that we will be cancelling our upcoming show in Russia," the group, made up of brothers dam, Jack, and Ryan Met, tweeted. "Thank you to our Russian fans who oppose their country's unprovoked and criminal behavior. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. At this point, the best thing you can do is share ACCURATE info."

Louis Tomlinson

The former One Direction member had shows planned in both Moscow and Kyiv's Stereo Plaza in Ukraine in July as part of his 2022 World Tour.

On Monday he tweeted that the concerts would not be happening.

"Due to the recent events in Ukraine, I have to sadly announce that my tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv are cancelled until further notice," his note posted on Twitter read. "The safety of my fans is my priority and my thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless war."

Health

Rock band Health also announced Monday that they would not be performing their two scheduled concerts in Russia.

"Though we do not wish to penalize our fans for governmental decisions that are beyond their control, given the current state of affairs we will no longer be performing our previously scheduled shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow," a statement shared to Instagram read. "Our thoughts go our to the people of Ukraine."

Yungblud

The British artist said in a statement Monday that he will not be performing in Russia this summer.

"I'm heartbroken to announce I will be cancelling my Russian shows scheduled for this summer," the statement read. "Heartbroken because I know the vicious and brutal acts of the Russian regime in Ukraine over the past week do not reflect the attitudes and ideals of the beautiful people who I have met in Russia in the past!"

To the Ukranians he wrote, "My heart is with you -- you've already shown such strength and determination, resisting this needless invasion."

"Everyone deserves to be the creator of their own destiny, rather than having it forced upon them by acts of war and aggression," he wrote. "Ukraine, I promise I'll come back as soon as I can!"

UNITED NATIONS — The United States says it is expelling 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations for engaging in activities not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations as diplomats.

U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills confirmed the expulsions after Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the U.N. Security Council on Monday afternoon that he had just been informed of “yet another hostile step undertaken by the host country" against the Russian Mission.

Nebenzia called the U.S. expulsions a “gross violation” of the U.N. agreement with the United States as the host of the United Nations and of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations.

Related video above: Thousands of Ukrainians flee to Poland

Yurii Zhyhanov woke before dawn to his mother’s screaming and found himself covered in dust. On the second day of Russia's invasion, shelling on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, struck their residential building.

Many civilians, horrified to find their lives at risk, started to flee during the attack's first hours. Amid the smoke and the screeching of car alarms on Friday, Zhyhanov and his family packed and joined them.

“What are you doing? What is this?” he said, addressing Russia and gesturing to the damaged building behind him. “If you want to attack military personnel, attack military personnel. This is all I can say.”

His weariness and shock reflected that of his country as people climbed out of bomb shelters, basements and subways to face another day of upheaval.

Those who didn’t wake to explosions were roused by air raid sirens. Then came the news that Russian forces had advanced to the capital's outskirts.

Russia has said it is not targeting cities, but the fighting seemed far too close.

The body of a dead soldier lay near a Kyiv underpass. Elsewhere, fragments of a downed aircraft smoked in a residential area. Black plastic was draped over body parts found amid the brick homes.

Armored personnel carriers drove down the city’s streets. Soldiers on empty bridges established defensive positions. Residents stood uneasily in doorways of apartment buildings, watching.

Outside a monastery, a woman lifted her hands toward a mural of saints and appeared to pray. In the port city of Mariupol, a young girl named Vlada wished for the assault to stop.

“I don’t want to die,” she said. “I want all of this to end as soon as possible.”

Uncertainty compounded the fear. On a street in the Obolon district, Associated Press journalists saw a military truck disabled, its tires deflated. The truck had no apparent insignia, and it was not clear if it was a vehicle that Ukraine's general staff claimed had been stolen by Russian forces aiming to disguise themselves as local ones.

Ukrainians picked through the damage left by shelling. And some mourned.

In the city of Horlivka, in the territory held by pro-Russian rebels, a body covered with a blanket lay outside a house that had been hit. A man standing nearby spoke on the phone.

“Yes, Mom’s gone, that’s all,” he said. “That’s it, Mom’s gone.”

The U.N. human rights office said it was receiving increasing reports of civilian casualties, with at least 25 deaths verified, mostly from shelling and airstrikes. “The figures, we fear, could be much higher,” agency spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.

The urge to run away grew. Some civilians approached borders on foot, wheeling luggage behind them. “It’s unfortunate that we got here in our old age, facing a war,” said Marika Sipos, who had left her home in Koson. She wiped her eyes.

At a train station just across the border in Poland, hundreds of people from Ukraine sought shelter. Some curled up on cots, trying to sleep. A woman stroked the hair of a young girl.

One of those at the station was Andry Borysov, who said he had heard the rush of something flying overhead and then an explosion as he hurried to catch a train out of Kyiv.

“It was an unmistakable sound,” he said.

Some hesitated to leave, even as they stood on railway platforms.

In Kostiantynivka, a government-controlled area in the separatist-held Donetsk People’s Republic, a woman who gave only her first name, Yelena, appeared undecided.

“It’s 50-50 on whether it is worth leaving or not,” she said. “But it wouldn’t hurt to leave for a couple days, for a weekend.”

Others leaving Ukraine knew it might take much longer before they could return home.

A North Carolina man who often teaches in Ukraine, recently received a message from one of his students, asking him to pray for his family.

Sister station WXII spoke with Herbert Burns, Jr. of Winston-Salem, who is a board member for the Triad Success Partners. Before the pandemic began, Burns and several members of the organization would fly to Ukraine to teach people how to run businesses every year.

For the past seven years, he said people from different industries — recreational facilities, agricultural, medical, marketing, faith, etc. — would take part in his leadership and marketing programs in Ukraine.

This week, one of his students messaged him amid the Ukraine and Russia crisis.

"At 3:25 am two days ago, I got a message from Elsey Pronin, saying please pray for us." Burns said. "I was almost in tears. It broke my heart."

Burns, Pronin, and a couple of other good friends gathered on a virtual meeting to pray together.

Burns said he considers Pronin as family.

"I felt like a family member in need. Because he’s like a dear family member. He’s like a brother to me. If you have children, and your children get hurt, you know how you feel for your children. I felt the same way for Elsey and his family," Burns said.

Pronin told Burns that his family and many others were in danger.

"He said there’s going to be thousands of refugees coming from the east and they’re going to need places to stay," Burns said.

However, instead of running away from danger, Pronin traveled toward it.

"He was getting ready to head east into the storm to see how he can help others. He was headed toward the battle to see what he can do to save other people," Burns said.

Burns said he last spoke with Pronin through Facebook messenger on Thursday. However, Pronin responded with "I can't talk."

Burns still keeps in touch with a number of his students in Ukraine, he said, and worries about many of them.

"I can't reach out and physically help him. It just broke my heart. I can't reach out and grab him. Let me hug you. Let me help you. What can I do?" Burns said.

The Ukrainian president appeared more somber as he made a desperate plea late Thursday night in Ukraine. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy telegraphed that things were rapidly changing. He said President Putin wouldn't take his phone call. Zelenskyy tried to appeal directly to the Russian people to stop the looming invasion. 

Just hours earlier, Newsy confirmed the United States had given the Ukrainian government detailed intelligence, indicating the long-feared invasion was imminent.  

Nearly 200,000 Russian troops were surrounding Ukraine on three sides, ready to pounce. 

But President Putin had already decided to act. He told Russia he ordered a military operation inside Ukraine.

Notably, he was wearing the same suit and tie as he was last seen in on Monday, perhaps indicating he had been waiting to begin the long-planned attack and that the invasion was just a matter of time, precisely as the United States and Western intelligence had been predicting. 

At about the same time in New York, the U.N. secretary-general opened an emergency meeting of the Security Council, begging Putin to call it off.

 

"President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "Give peace a chance."

The Ukrainian ambassador then sparred with Russia's ambassador, ironically sitting as the U.N. Security Council president. 

"The Russian president declared war on the record," Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said. "Should I play the video of your president, ambassador? Shall I do that right now? Or you can confirm it? Do not interrupt me, please, thank you." 

Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., responded: "Then don't ask me questions. When you are speaking, proceed with your statement."

"There is no purgatory for war criminals," Kyslytsya said. "They go straight to hell, ambassador." 

At 6 a.m. Moscow time, the assault began. There were air strikes in Ukraine's biggest cities, targeting military posts and weapons warehouses, plus ports and airbases. And ground forces began moving in. 

Within minutes, President Biden released a written statement calling Russia's attack "unprovoked and unjustified."

He pledged the world would "hold Russia accountable."

"Russia has attacked Ukraine. This is a brutal act of war" "We now have war in Europe on the scale, and of a type, we thought belonged to history."

The widest, bloodiest, most significant battle in Europe since World War II was now underway with no clear end game in sight. 

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here: https://bit.ly/Newsy1.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Pentagon says that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has put up to 8,500 troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure NATO allies in the face of ongoing Russian aggression on the border of Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday no final decisions have been made on deployments.

He said the order is about ensuring that the U.S. is ready to respond if NATO decides to deploy its response force.

Kirby said: "What this is about is reassurance to our NATO allies."

The news comes after the U.S. Embassy and American personnel families in Kyiv were ordered on Sunday by the State Department to leave the country.

Earlier on Monday, NATO said Denmark was sending ships to the Baltic Sea, and planes to Lithuania. Spain was also sending ships and possible fighter jets to Bulgaria. France could send troops to Romania if needed.

On Friday, U.S. and Russian diplomats met in Geneva, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned after a meeting that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "met with a severe and a united response."

WILMINGTON, Del. —

President Joe Biden conferred on Sunday with Ukraine's leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border with Ukraine, promising that the U.S. and allies will act "decisively" if Russia further invades Ukraine.

Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call came as the U.S. and Western allies prepared for a series of diplomatic meetings to try to de-escalate a crisis that Moscow said could rupture ties with Washington.

"President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement following the call.

Psaki added that Biden underscored his commitment to the principle of "nothing about you without you," the tenant that it won't negotiate policy that impacts Europe without its allies' input.

Biden has spoken of hitting Russia with economy-jarring sanctions if it moves on Ukraine's territory, but he said last month that U.S. military action is not on the table.

The Kremlin has demanded that any further expansion of NATO exclude Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. The Russians have also demanded that the military alliance remove offensive weaponry from countries in the region.

The White House has dismissed Russia's demands on NATO as a non-starter. A key principle of the NATO alliance is that membership is open to any qualifying country. And no outsider has membership veto power. While there's little prospect that Ukraine would be invited into the alliance anytime soon, the U.S. and its allies won't rule it out.

Zelenskyy said in a Twitter posting after Sunday's call that "keeping peace in Europe, preventing further escalation, reforms, deoligarchization were discussed."

"We appreciate the unwavering support," Zelenskyy said.

The United States has made little progress in efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions. Senior U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to meet Jan. 9-10 in Geneva to discuss the situation. Those talks are to be followed by meetings at the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Biden spoke with Putin for nearly an hour on Thursday. He told reporters the next day that he warned Putin that his economy would pay a "heavy price" if Russia, which has massed some 100,000 troops near the border, made further moves against Ukraine.

"I'm not going to negotiate here in public, but we made it clear that he cannot — I emphasize cannot — move on Ukraine," Biden said Friday..

Biden said he told Putin it was important for the Russians to take steps before those meetings toward easing the crisis. Putin's foreign affairs adviser, in describing the presidents' conversation this past week, said Biden's pursuit of sanctions "could lead to a complete rupture of relations between out countries and Russia-West relations will be severely damaged."

U.S. intelligence findings indicate Russia has made preparations for a potential invasion in early 2022. But White House officials say it remains unclear whether Putin has already made a decision to move forward with military action.

Still, Biden said he remained hopeful for the upcoming talks. White House officials say they will consult closely with Western allies

"I always expect if you negotiate you make progress, but we'll see," he said Friday. "We'll see."

Past military incursions by Putin loom large as Biden weighs his next steps.

In 2014, Russian troops marched into the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and seized the territory from Ukraine. Russia's annexation of Crimea was one of the darker moments for President Barack Obama on the international stage.

The U.S.-Russia relationship was badly damaged near the end of President George W. Bush's administration after Russia's 2008 invasion of its neighbor Georgia after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday he feared that Putin was intent on invading Ukraine and "nothing other than a level of sanctions that Russia has never seen will deter him."

"Russia needs to understand we are united in this," Schiff told "Face the Nation" on CBS. "I also think that a powerful deterrent is the understanding that if they do invade, it is going to bring (NATO) closer to Russia, not push it farther away.

Associated Press writer Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv contributed to this report.

D-Day — the military term for the first day of the Normandy landings — was the largest amphibious invasion ever undertaken and laid the foundations for the Allied defeat of Germany in World War II.

The invasion took place June 6, 1944, and saw tens of thousands of troops from the United States, United Kingdom, France and Canada landing on five stretches of the Normandy coastline — codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches.

Planning for D-Day began more than a year in advance, and the Allies carried out substantial military deception — codenamed Operation Bodyguard — to confuse the Germans as to when and where the invasion would take place.

The operation was originally scheduled to begin on June 5, when a full moon and low tides were expected to coincide with good weather, but storms forced a 24-hour delay.

What happened on D-Day?

The amphibious landings — codenamed Operation Overlord — were preceded by an extensive bombing campaign to damage German defenses.

Deception tactics employed in the months leading up to the attack led the Germans to believe that the initial attacks were merely a diversion and that the true invasion would take place further along the coast.

Allied divisions began landing on the five beaches at 6:30 a.m. June 6.

The U.S. troops were assigned to Utah beach at the base of the Cotentin Peninsular and Omaha beach at the northern end of the Normandy coast. The British subsequently landed on Gold Beach, followed by the Canadians at Juno, and finally the British at Sword, the easternmost point of the invasion.

By midnight June 6, the troops had secured their beachheads and moved further inland from Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.

However, not all the landings were successful; U.S. forces suffered substantial losses at Omaha beach, where strong currents forced many landing craft away from their intended positions, delaying and hampering the invasion strategy.

Heavy fire from German positions on the steep cliffs, which had not been effectively destroyed by Allied bombing before the invasion, also caused casualties.

D-Day in numbers

In total, around 7,000 ships took part in the invasion, including 1,213 warships and 4,127 landing craft.

Some 24,000 Allied troops were also dropped behind enemy lines shortly after midnight on the day of the invasion, and 132,000 men landed on the beaches.

The troops were supported by 12,000 Allied aircraft, and 10,000 vehicles were delivered to the five beaches.

On D-Day alone, 4,414 Allied troops were confirmed dead, with more than 9,000 wounded or missing.

The precise number of German casualties on the day is unknown, but they are estimated to be between 4,000 and 9,000.

What followed D-Day?

Despite securing a stronghold on the French coast on D-Day, the Allied forces faced the risk that bombardment by the Germans could push them back into the sea.

They needed to build up troop numbers and equipment in Normandy faster than the Germans, allowing for a continued invasion into mainland Europe.

The Allies used their air power to slow the German advance toward Normandy by blowing up bridges, railways and roads across the region. This allowed the Allies to gain total control of Normandy 77 days later and move on toward Paris, which they liberated in August 1944.