Ukraine claims to have destroyed nine aerial targets of Russian Air Force: Report

Amidst the ruthless war in Eastern Europe, Ukraine had claimed to have destroyed at least nine aerial targets of the Russian Air Force in the past 24 hours. According to The Kyiv Independent, the Ukrainian Air Force Command stated that it destroyed seven Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and two SU-25s. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had lost over 1,000 tanks, around 200 planes and 2,500 infantry fighting vehicles since the beginning of the war on February 24. He also stated that more weaponry and rockets will be employed against Ukraine despite Russia's enormous losses. 

On Saturday, April 30, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate released a list of 226 Russian personnel who allegedly committed war crimes in Zaporizhia and Mariupol. The list includes the names from the 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment. According to the Intelligence Directorate, these 226 Russian soldiers killed and tortured Ukrainian people in the Zaporizhia and Mariupol regions. In a Telegram message, it further declared that these Russian soldiers would be tried and held accountable for the atrocities they committed on Ukraine's civilian population. 

Russia killed over 20,000 civilians in Mariupol in just two months: Ukraine

Meanwhile, the Mariupol city council claimed that the Russian armed forces have so far killed twice as many people as the Nazis did in the two years of occupation of the city during World War II. Furthermore, the invaders have also unlawfully deported as many Mariupol residents as Hitler's troops, the city council disclosed. "In two years, the Nazis killed 10,000 civilians in Mariupol. And the Russian occupiers have already killed more than 20,000 civilians in just two months. More than 40,000 people have also been forcibly deported," Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko stated on the official Telegram Channel. 

Zelenskyy urges Russian military to stop the war

It is pertinent to mention here that the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate unabated and entered its 67th day on Sunday, May 1. In his nightly video address, the embattled President Zelenskyy urged the Russian military not to fight in Ukraine, saying even their generals expected that thousands of them would die. He claimed that Russian leaders are fully aware that thousands will die and thousands more will be injured in the coming days if the war is not stopped. "Évery Russian soldier can still save his own life. It's better for you to survive in Russia than to perish on our land," Zelenskyy added, as per PTI.  

Image: AP