Ukraine claims Russia wants to end war by May 9 & other developments as war enters day 30

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters the 30th day, here are the key developments as the Russian troops continue heavy bombardment on civilian cities. 

• Ukrainian Human Rights activists claim that the Russian forces are deliberately targeting civilians. Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, activist Oleksandra Matviichuk said that the Russian troops are failing in their plans to take over Kyiv and was struggling with the Ukrainian people’s resistance. Matviichuk also informed that the city has food, water and electricity required to continue their fight against the Russian invasion.
• Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security have revealed that they have stopped 9 enemy attacks, destroyed 12 tanks, about 20 units of armoured and automotive equipment and 9 artillery systems on Thursday. According to the official statement from the war-torn country, Russia has lost more than 200 servicemen. 'Air defence units shot down 2 planes and 2 enemy UAVs,' the statement further added. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security details upon day 30 developments of Russia Ukraine war.
• Moscow has now claimed to have opened a humanitarian corridor to allow international ships to depart Ukrainian ports. According to The Kyiv Independent, "The supposed corridor would be 3 miles wide open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 25. Earlier, Russia claimed there were drifting mines in the Black Sea". Chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, Mikhail Mizintsev said, “The Russian Federation creates a humanitarian corridor for the exit of foreign ships from Ukrainian ports into the open sea,” TASS reported. He further claimed that 67 foreign ships from 15 nations have been stranded in Ukrainian ports.  
• Canada has prohibited its troops from participating in Ukraine's "international brigade" of foreign combatants, citing concerns that captured soldiers might be used as a propaganda instrument by Russia. According to The Guardian, Lieutenant General Frances Allen, the vice-chief of the defence staff, told the Canadian parliament's defence committee on March 23, Wednesday that top brass had issued an order prohibiting full-time service personnel and part-time reservists from joining Ukraine's newly established foreign legion. Further, the order also applies to troops on leave. 
• Australian government has announced sanctions against 22 "Russian propagandists and disinformation operatives." The government has imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his family members. The decision has been taken by the Australian administration as they continue their work to ensure that Russia and those supporting "illegal, unprovoked invasion" of Ukraine" bear the price for their action. 
• US President Joe Biden has a scheduled visit to Poland today, he will also meet the Ukrainian refugees. According to a statement released by the White House on Thursday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki, President Biden will travel to Warsaw, Poland, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with President Andrzej Duda. As per the statement, the United States President will discuss how the United States, alongside the US Allies and partners, is responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis that has been created due to Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine.
• Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Olga Stefanishyna stated that Ukraine is now struggling for its existence as a democratic and free country. According to EUobserver, Stefanishyna has highlighted the fact that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had signed an application for European Union membership on the fifth day of the Russia-Ukraine war and claimed that for Ukrainians, it is both reasonable and imminent, even though this action "may seem untimely" to others. 
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given four cities in the country the title of ‘Hero City’ and seven National guard service members the title of ‘hero of Ukraine'. The cities which received the recognition include Bucha, Irpin, Mykolaiv, and Okhtyrka. Additionally, five of the seven service members received the award posthumously as Ukrainian defence forces continue to resist Russian military aggression for 30 days now. 
• G7 leaders have called for an "extraordinary session" of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to address the consequences on world food security and agriculture arising from the Moscow aggression. G7, also known as the Group of Seven, is an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.
• Ukrainian police general Vyacheslav Abroskin has offered himself as a hostage to Russian troops in exchange for the evacuation of children from the port city. Amid reports stating that Mariupol is 90% destroyed and humanitarian crisis is soaring, Abroskin said in a statement on Thursday that even before the war started in late February, he had promised the residents to defend Mariupol.
• Censuring China over its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden said that he had a straightforward conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a few days ago and asserted that Beijing will face consequences if found that it is helping Russia in the latter's military aggression. "I think that China understands that its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia. And so I am hopeful that he does not get engaged," US President Biden said.
• Head of Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine, Oleksandra Matviichuk spoke exclusively to Republic TV from Kyiv as the Russian invasion entered day 30. Speaking about the situation in the city, she revealed that the Russian troops were now targeting civilians to force the Ukrainian administration to stop resistance. “We are struggling in Kyiv for several weeks. However, the Russian troops tried to enter Kyiv and they failed,” Matviichuk said.   
• Russia intends to end the war in Ukraine by May 9, revealed intelligence sources from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In an operational update shared on Thursday, Ukrainian Armed Forces said that “constant propaganda work” is being carried out in Russia which imposes the idea that the Russia-Ukraine war must be ended by the said date which is widely celebrated in Russia as the day of victory over Nazi Germany. 

Image: AP