This is CNBC'S live blog covering developments in the Russia-Ukraine war. See blow for the latest updates.
Civilian casualties continue to rise in Ukraine amid continuous Russian attacks on cities across the country. But Ukraine's armed forces said Tuesday that the pace of Russia's invasion has "slowed significantly."
Russian forces disrupted humanitarian escape corridors established around the cities of Mariupol and Sumy, according to the U.K. Defence Ministry. That would mark the third consecutive day that Vladimir Putin's forces have broken their own supposed cease-fire agreements.
The latest breach comes after the U.N. called for safe passages to be established in Ukraine so civilians can leave.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak threatened to cut off gas supply to Europe if governments sanction energy imports, warning that it could lead to oil prices surging above $300 a barrel.
U.S. President Joe Biden said the nation plans to ban imports of Russian oil, a major escalation in the international response to Moscow's aggression.
Russian forces reportedly inflicted shelling and small arms fire on escape corridors that were designed to let Ukrainian civilians escape the cities of Mariupol and Sumy.
The U.K. Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update that the violence marks a third consecutive day that Russian forces have violated their own supposed cease-fire agreements.
Despite the dangers, the ministry said it is likely that some civilians have managed to escape the besieged cities.
"Those civilians forced to remain continue to suffer from shortages of power, food and water, exacerbated by heavy Russian shelling," the ministry said.
—Ted Kemp
Fitch downgraded Russia's sovereign rating by six notches further into the junk territory to 'C' from 'B', saying a default is imminent as sanctions and trade restrictions have undermined its willingness to service debt.
The country's financial markets have been thrown into turmoil by Western sanctions after it invaded Ukraine, raising significant concerns over its ability and willingness to service debt.
The rating firm pointed to Presidential decree, which could potentially force a redenomination of foreign-currency sovereign debt payments into local currency for creditors in specified countries.
"Further ratcheting up of sanctions and proposals that could limit trade in energy increase probability of a policy response by Russia that includes at least selective non-payment of its sovereign debt obligations," the ratings agency said in a statement.
— Reuters
After taking trains from Ukraine, refugees arrive and wait for safe passage in Poland.
The Biden administration is "in active discussions" with allies about releasing more oil from strategic petroleum reserves, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC.
Just a week earlier, the 31 members of the International Energy Agency agreed to tap 60 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves in an effort to ease concerns about energy supplies and price hikes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"I think there's a sense of urgency about this" Granholm said on "Closing Bell." "We are in active discussions with our allies ... and we will be having further discussions" both within the U.S. government and with its partners, the Cabinet secretary said.
— Kevin Breuninger
There's no telling how high U.S. gas prices will go, or how long they will stay at record levels, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC.
"We don't know, of course. We don't know how long Putin is going to terrorize Ukraine. We do not know how long his war will last. But let's be clear, these increases are because of Vladimir Putin," Granholm said when asked on "Closing Bell" about the sky-high prices.
"This is Putin's war. These are Putin's increases. And we cannot allow it to stand," she said.
"We're fortunate that we are not being asked to sacrifice our sons and daughters to go and fight this war, but we may have to take on other sacrifices," Granholm said. "And it makes me so proud that so many Americans are willing to pay a little bit more at the pump in order to accelerate the end of this war."
— Kevin Breuninger
Flight-simulator giant CAE said it has suspended all of its services and training for Russian airlines and pilots, the latest aviation company to exit Russia after its attack on Ukraine.
"CAE is saddened by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and in support of its people, CAE has ceased to offer training services to pilots of Russian airlines as well as corporate and cargo operators in its training network," the Montreal-based company said. "The company has also ceased to sell and service simulators for Russian airlines as well as healthcare distributors."
Russia's aviation system has grown isolated isolated since the country's Ukraine invasion, as Western companies like Airbus and Boeing pull out of the country and flight restrictions prevent flights to and from Russia. Russian airlines have ceased international flights, however, making it increasingly difficult for lessors to repossess aircraft.
— Leslie Josephs
Bumble has no love for Russia.
The popular dating app company is ceasing operations in Russia and removing all of its apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Russia and Belarus, the company said in its fourth-quarter earnings statement.
The company has close ties to Russia and Ukraine, which account for about 15% of total daily active users of Bumble-owned dating app Badoo, according to JPMorgan. Roughly 20% of its global workforce, about 130 employees, are also located in Moscow, the company's previously said.
That exposure hit investors hard with a 30% drop in the company's shares since Russia began its assault on Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Bumble estimates a $20 million hit to revenue from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in 2022.
— Jessica Bursztynsky
National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone told lawmakers Tuesday that U.S. intelligence agencies are working to identify and defeat Russian cyberattacks if the Kremlin retaliates against the West.
"We're very, very focused on ransomware actors that might conduct attacks against our allies or our nation and very, very focused on some type of cyber activity that's designed for perhaps Ukraine that spreads more broadly into other countries," Nakasone said before the House Intelligence Committee.
Nakasone also warned that a potential Russian cyberattack against U.S. critical infrastructure could have a "spillover effect" if it is not contained.
"Even if the Russians think they have carefully calibrated some form of malicious cyberactivity against our critical infrastructure, the reality is they've shown a history of not being able to kind of manage the effects of it as well as they intend," Nakasone said.
— Amanda Macias
Members of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr and Olena listen to a priest at their wedding during Ukraine-Russia conflict at a Ukraine checkpoint in unknown location.
Photos provided by the Press service of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss additional ways for the transatlantic allies to "impose significant costs on President Putin and his associates for as long as they continue their war of choice in Ukraine."
'The Secretary and President compared notes on ongoing diplomacy to diminish the violence and bring the Kremlin's war to a halt," according to a summary of the meeting.
Blinken's discussions at Elysee Palace wrap a week of meetings with allies in Belgium, Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
— Amanda Macias
PepsiCo is exploring options for its Russian business, including writing off the value of the unit, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Pepsi has deep ties to Russia, dating back to when it introduced cola to the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s during the Cold War. The company also operates a large dairy business in Russia. Citing people familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that Pepsi is reluctant to shutter its Russian operations because tens of thousands of Russians depend on Pepsi for jobs and daily essentials.
— Amelia Lucas
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew a standing ovation from U.K. lawmakers Tuesday after a defiant speech that nodded to Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill.
"We will fight till the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost," he said in remarks delivered by video in the House of Commons.
In a separate tweeted statement, he also thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for "striking in the heart of [Vladimir] Putin's war machine" by banning oil, natural gas and coal imports from Russia.
— Jacob Pramuk
The Polish Air Force will immediately send its aging Russian MiG-29 fighter jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany where the United States will assume control of the fleet.
In exchange, Poland requested that the U.S. send "used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities," the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a statement without elaborating on a specific U.S. aircraft.
"The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein," the statement added.
— Amanda Macias
McDonald's said it would halt operations in Russia, nearly two weeks after Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.
The company, which makes 9% of its revenue from Russia, had taken heat for staying silent on the war. On Tuesday, its CEO said McDonald's would keep paying its 62,000 employees in the country even as it shuts down its 850 stores there until further notice.
"In the thirty-plus years that McDonald's has operated in Russia, we've become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate," CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in the announcement. "At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine."
– Mike Calia
A U.S. senior Defense official said about 95% of the Kremlin's combat power remains intact after nearly two weeks at war in Ukraine.
"Mr. Putin still has the vast majority of tactical surface-to-air capability available to him," the official said.
The official added that nearly 100% of the troops that were once staged along Ukraine's border are now fighting inside the country and slowly advancing on Kyiv in four lines of effort.
"We assess that nearly, not all, but nearly 100% of the forces that they had amassed are inside the country now and clearly they are inside the country with the intent to move along these multiple lines of access," the official said.
The official added that the U.S. has no indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin is pulling troops from other parts of Russia to fight in Ukraine.
— Amanda Macias
Photos show destroyed buildings in Kharkiv a day after shelling by Russian forces.
A senior U.S. Defense official said Tuesday that Russian forces have intensified missile strikes against Ukraine in the last 24 hours.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to share new U.S. details of the Kremlin's campaign, said that the Russians have fired nearly 670 missiles since the invasion began. In the past 24 hours, the U.S. observed about 50 Russian missile launches.
The majority of the missiles are being launched from either inside Russia or from mobile platforms inside of Ukraine, according to the U.S. Defense official. Approximately 70 missiles have been fired from inside Belarus and less than 10 missiles have been launched from naval assets in the Black Sea.
— Amanda Macias
A senior U.S. defense official said Russian forces are pursuing four different advances on Kyiv and are approximately 12 miles from the city center.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Russian troop movements deeper into Ukraine have slowed.
"They still seem to be plagued by logistics and sustainment challenges," explained the official, adding that the Russians are facing substantial fuel and food shortages.
"We have every expectation that they will try to overcome those challenges," the official added.
— Amanda Macias