Russia-Ukraine War Updates: Kyiv claims Moscow wants to end the war by May 9

Biden made the remark as he met the U.S. Air Force’s 82nd Airborne Division. Previously, Biden repeatedly said that the U.S. will not deploy any troops to Ukraine.

According to the State Service for Special Communication and Information Protection, the museum will help document Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine and raise money for humanitarian aid. All the exhibited NFT tokens are available for purchase.

The Kyiv Independent on Friday posted a tweet where they claimed," According to intelligence from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian troops are being told that the war must end by May 9 – widely celebrated in Russia as the day of victory over the Nazi Germany."  (Reuters)

Just 60 miles from Ukraine, President Joe Biden saluted Poland on Friday for giving refuge to more than 2 million refugees who have fled Russia's invasion,; then he met with humanitarian experts on the ground about what will be needed to mitigate the growing suffering.

Biden said he had hoped to get even closer to the border but was prevented because of security concerns. Still, he said he wanted to visit Poland to underscore that the assistance it is providing is of “enormous consequence" as Europe experiences the biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

“It’s not stopping," Biden said of the devastation in Ukraine. "It’s like something out of a science fiction movie.”

Biden also visited with some of the thousands of U.S. troops who have been sent near Poland’s border to assist with the humanitarian emergency and to bolster the U.S. military presence on the eastern flank of NATO. More than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the Feb. 24 invasion, including about 2.2 million to Poland, according to the United Nations.

Within a few days, the number of refugees displaced from Ukraine since last month will exceed the number of Syrians routed from their homes over years of conflict after a 2011 uprising turned into a full-scale war, said Samantha Power, the U.S. Agency for International Development administrator.

The American military commitment in Poland was apparent as soon as Air Force One touched down, rolling past Patriot missile batteries. More hardware, including heavy trucks and other equipment painted with dark green and brown camouflage, was present at the airport. A nearby convention center serves as a base for the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division.

Polish President Andrzej Duda joined Biden for a briefing with humanitarian experts.

Duda, through an interpreter, thanked Biden for his support. He said the Poles see the Ukrainians they are receiving as their “guests.”

“This is the name we want to apply to them," Duda said. “We do not want to call them refugees. They are our guests, our brothers, our neighbors from Ukraine, who today are in a very difficult situation.”

Biden's first stop was with 82nd Airborne troops, at a barber shop and dining facility where he invited himself to sit down and share some pizza. The Americans are serving alongside Polish troops.

With the troops, he shared an anecdote about visiting his late son, Beau Biden, while he was deployed in Baghdad and going by his mother’s maiden name so as not to draw attention to himself. The president jokingly razzed one service member about his standard-issue short haircut and seriously praised the troops, too.

“You are the finest fighting force in the world and that's not hyperbole,. Biden said.

He later addressed a group of soldiers in more formal remarks, telling them the nation “owes you big.” He also borrowed the words of the late Secretary of State Madeline Albright to underscore their place in a fragile moment for the U.S. and its European allies.

"The secretary of state used to have an expression. She said, ‘We are the essential nation,’" Biden told the troops. “I don't want to sound philosophical here, but you are in midst of a fight between democracy and an an oligarch."

Biden will be in Warsaw on Saturday for further talks with Duda and others. The Polish leader had planned to welcome him at the airport on Friday, but his plane was delayed by a technical problem.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden was looking to hear directly from the American troops and humanitarian experts about the situation on the ground and “what further steps need to be taken to make sure that we’re investing” U.S. dollars in the right place.

Biden, who spent Thursday lobbying U.S. allies to stay united against Russia, speculated that what he sees in Poland “will reinforce my commitment to have the United States make sure we are a major piece of dealing with the relocation of all those folks, as well as humanitarian assistance needed both inside Ukraine and outside Ukraine.”

Speaking in Brussels after meetings with other world leaders, Biden said he had visited many war zones and refugee camps during his political career and “it's devastating” to see young children without parents or men and women with blank looks on their faces wondering, “My God, where am I? What's going to happen to me?”

He said Poland, Romania and Germany shouldn't be left on their own to deal with the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

President Joe Biden has given a pep talk to U.S. troops stationed in Poland near the border with Ukraine.

Biden said he wanted to visit Friday to thank members of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division for their service. He added that it’s “not hyperbole” when he says they are the “finest fighting force in the world.”

The president told the fatigue-clad men and women that they are an “amazing group” and he reminisced about his late son, Beau, who served in the Delaware Army National Guard.

Biden visited some troops at lunch at their temporary headquarters in Rzeszow and chowed down on a slice of pepperoni and jalapeno pepper pizza. He also visited others who were getting haircuts at the barbershop.

Poland is the second stop on Biden’s four-day trip to Europe. He spent Thursday in Brussels meeting with world leaders on the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Biden is scheduled Saturday to meet separately with Poland’s president and Ukrainian refugees before he heads back to Washington.

The European Union and the United States on Friday made a breakthrough in their years-long battle over the privacy of data that flows across the Atlantic with a preliminary agreement that paves the way for Europeans' personal information to be stored in the US.

US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal during Biden's stop here while on a European tour amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

Business groups hailed the announcement, saying it would provide relief to thousands of companies, including tech giants like Google and Facebook, that faced uncertainty over their ability to send data between the US and Europe, which has much stricter regulations on data privacy.

Details of the agreement were not provided. It came the same day EU officials agreed on sweeping new digital rules to rein in the power of big tech companies such as Facebook and Google.

“Privacy and security are key elements of my digital agenda, and today we've agreed to unprecedented protection for data privacy and security for our citizens," Biden said.

“This new arrangement will enhance the Privacy Shield framework, promote growth and innovation in Europe and the US, and help companies — both small and large — compete in the digital economy.”

Von der Leyen said the agreement “will enable predictable and trustworthy data flows between the EU and the US, safeguarding privacy and civil liberties.”

The dispute stems from a complaint filed nearly a decade ago by Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems, who was concerned about how Facebook handled his data in light of revelations about US government cyber-snooping from former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Along the way, a ruling by the EU's top court struck down the Privacy Shield agreement covering transatlantic data transfers because it fell afoul of stringent data privacy standards in the 27-nation bloc. Companies were forced to rely on stock legal contracts to continue the transfers.

The dispute had raised the prospect that Facebook would have to revamp its data centres to ensure European data is kept out of the US.

The new agreement “will help keep people connected and services running”, Facebook head of global affairs Nick Clegg tweeted.

“It will provide invaluable certainty for Americans, as well as, European companies of all sizes, including Meta, who rely on transferring data quickly and safely.”

Google said it commended the work by the EU and US to “safeguard transatlantic data transfers".

Schrems called the latest deal a “political announcement".

He said it could get tied up in the courts because his Vienna-based group NOYB would analyse it in depth and challenge anything that's not in line with EU law.

“Customers and businesses face more years of legal uncertainty,” Schrems said. 

President Joe Biden will hear directly from US troops stationed near Poland's border with Ukraine on Friday and learn about the growing humanitarian response to the millions of Ukrainians who are fleeing to Poland to escape Russia's assault on their homeland.

Biden planned to meet with members of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, who are serving alongside Polish troops.

He arrived on Friday afternoon at the airport in Rzeszow, the largest city in southeastern Poland, where some US troops are based about an hour's drive from the Ukrainian border.

He will be in Warsaw on Saturday for talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda and others.

The Polish leader was to welcome Biden at the airport on Friday, but his plane was delayed by a technical problem.

The European Union said some 3.5 million Ukrainians — half of them children — have fled the country, with more than 2.2 million ending up in Poland.

The US Congress this month approved spending more than USD13 billion on humanitarian and military assistance for Ukraine. The administration has begun allocating those funds.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden will hear directly from the American troops and humanitarian experts about the situation on the ground and “what further steps need to be taken to make sure that we're investing” US dollars in the right place.

Biden, who spent Thursday lobbying US allies to stay united against Russia, speculated that what he sees in Poland “will reinforce my commitment to have the US make sure we are a major piece of dealing with the relocation of all those folks, as well as humanitarian assistance needed both inside Ukraine and outside Ukraine”.

Speaking in Brussels after meetings with other world leaders, Biden said he had visited many war zones and refugee camps during his political career and “it's devastating” to see young children without parents or men and women with blank looks on their faces wondering, “My God, where am I? What's going to happen to me?”

He said Poland, Romania and Germany shouldn't be left on their own to deal with the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

“This is an international responsibility,” Biden said shortly after he announced USD1 billion in additional assistance to help Ukrainian refugees.

He also announced that the US would take in up to 100,000 of those refugees. The White House has said most Ukrainian refugees eventually want to return home.

Biden said the US is obligated to be “engaged and do all we can to ease the suffering and pain of innocent women and children and men" who make it across the border.

— Officials say 300 dead in airstrike on theater in Mariupol

— Biden to visit Poland, a complex ally on Ukraine’s doorstep

— Some prominent Russians quit jobs, refuse to support war.

Ukraine's stiff resistance to the Russian invasion, which has turned Moscow's advance into a grinding war of attrition, has underscored the importance to American allies of the need to be prepared for any eventuality, the top US Army commander in the Pacific said Friday. Gen. Charles Flynn told The Associated Press that the events in Europe highlight the need for regular training exercises with partners, like the one that just concluded between the Royal Thai Army and the US Army.

“The will of the Ukrainian army, the will of their government, the will of the resistance is a contributing factor to what's unfolded,” said Flynn, who was in Thailand for the end of the exercise and for talks with military commanders as part of a trip meeting counterparts throughout the region.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine just over a month ago, many quickly drew comparisons to the situation between Taiwan and China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory.

Lavrov said at a meeting on Friday that “a real hybrid war, total war was declared on us.” He said the goal was “to destroy, break, annihilate, strangle the Russian economy, and Russia on the whole.”

During the first month of what Russia describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine, the West imposed tough measures targeting Russia’s economy and financial system as well as President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs.

Despite that, Lavrov said Russia was not isolated.

“We have many friends, allies, partners in the world, a huge number of associations in which Russia is working with countries of all continents, and we will continue to do so,” Lavrov said. He added that the vast majority of states won’t join the Western sanctions policy against Russia.

Finland’s national railway company says it will suspend services between Helsinki and the Russian city of St. Petersburg from this weekend, closing one of the last public transport routes for Russians who want to reach the European Union.

Citing the sanctions imposed on Russia, the head of passenger traffice with state-owned VR, Topi Simola, said that “people who wanted to depart from Russia have had adequate time to leave.”

Only the morning train from Helsinki to St Petersburg will be operated on Sunday while the afternoon train will be cancelled. Both services from St Petersburg will be operated. After that, trains will be suspended until further notice.

VR said customers can cancel their tickets at no cost.

The United States and European Union on Friday announced a new partnership to reduce the continent's reliance on Russian energy, a step top officials characterized as the start of a years-long initiative to further isolate Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin uses energy to “coerce and manipulate his neighbors” and uses the profits from its sale to “drive his war machine.”

Biden said the partnership he announced jointly with a top European Union official will turn that dynamic on its head by reducing Europe's dependence on Russian energy sources, as well reducing the continent's demand for gas overall.

The president said such a step is not “only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint” but “it’s going to put us on a stronger strategic footing.”

Under the plan, the U.S. and other nations will increase liquified natural gas exports to Europe by 15 billion cubic meters this year, though U.S. officials were unable to say exactly which countries will provide the extra energy this year. Even larger shipments would be delivered in the future. .

At the same time, they will try to keep their climate goals on track by powering gas infrastructure with clean energy and reducing methane leaks that can worsen global warming.

Although the initiative will likely require new facilities for importing liquified natural gas, the partnership is also geared toward reducing reliance on fossil fuels in the long run through energy efficiency and alternative sources of energy, according to the White House.

Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU's executive arm, said it is important for Europe to shift away from Russia and toward energy suppliers that are trustworthy, friendly and reliable.

“We aim to reduce this dependence on Russian fossil fuels and get rid of it," she said.

Russian energy is a key source of income and political leverage for Moscow. Almost 40% of the European Union's natural gas comes from Russia to heat homes, generate electricity and power industry.

Biden was leaving Brussels after the announcement and heading to Rzeszów in Poland, where U.S. troops are based roughly an hour's drive from the Ukrainian border.

He will be briefed on the humanitarian response to the refugees streaming out of Ukraine and those still suffering inside the country. He also will meet with U.S. service members from the 82nd Airborne Division, who serve alongside Polish troops.

Japan will ban the export of luxury goods to Russia early next week, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday."Early next week we will introduce the export ban measure of luxury goods," Hayashi said, adding that the bill on legislation in the field of cryptoassets in order to prevent Russia from avoiding sanctions, is in preparation for submission to the parliament.Hayashi said that he considers it necessary to impose sanctions against Russia, like the other members of the G7. Earlier on Friday, the Japanese Foreign Minister unveiled a new package of sanctions against 25 Russians and 81 organizations from Russia. Japan's sanctions list now includes 101 names and 130 organizations from Russia.The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Moscow, in response to Tokyo's unfriendly steps, is refusing to negotiate a peace treaty with Japan, is halting visa-free travel for Japanese citizens to the southern Kuril Islands, and is withdrawing from dialogue with Japan on establishing joint economic activities in the southern Kurils.

300 feared dead in Russian strike on Mariupol theatre, reports AFP. Russia bombed the theater, which was known to house hundreds of women and children, on March 16. The City Council says that witnesses report a huge number of casualties.

United States sanctioned over 400 additional individuals, entities to align with measures taken by the EU and its allies and partners according to US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.In a Joint Statement, both the leaders informed that the sanctions include the Duma and 328 of its members, and dozens of defense companies."United States is sanctioning more than 400 additional individuals and entities to align with measures taken by the EU and our allies and partners. This includes the Duma (Russia's lower house of parliament) and 328 of its members, dozens of defense companies that fuel Putin's war machine and sustain its military industrial base, and more than 20 financial elites, including the head of Russia's largest financial institution. The Commission, in line with its competences, will continue to support further similar measures," the statement read.The United States and the European Union will closely coordinate international assistance to Ukraine and the sanctions policy against Russia.

For the West to build pressure on India to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine as some kind of a political and moral obligation for a democracy is a brazenly manipulative exercise. If western democracies genuinely believe that all democratic countries have an obligation to band together against Russia on this issue shows how much they have become prisoners of their own rhetoric and are incapable of seeing the incongruities in their position. If, on the other hand, they are aware that they themselves have not adhered to the principle that they now espouse in the case of Russia, it denotes outright cynicism bred by a sense of unaccountable power. India, which has been a democracy since 1947, has not received any special consideration on the political economic and security fronts from the West. On the contrary, it has been subject to decades of sanctions in the strategic nuclear, space and high technology areas. It was pushed toward a close relationship with the Soviet Union in the area of heavy industry because of American unwillingness to help build our industrial infrastructure in collaboration with our public sector. In the defence sector, we experienced a reluctance on the part of the US and the UK to sell us high end platforms and weaponry because of concerns about upsetting a degree of parity with Pakistan. In fact, Pakistan was roped into military blocs and provided with arms that endangered India's security.

Russian forces fired two missiles late on Thursday (March 24) at a Ukrainian military unit on the outskirts of Dnipro, the fourth-largest city in the country, regional emergency services said. The strikes destroyed buildings and set off two fires, it said, while the number of those killed and wounded was still being established. Dnipro is west of the regions along the Russian border that have been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

In a virtual address to the European Council summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the military alliance is "yet to show what it can do to save people" in the wake of Russia's continued war on Kiev. In a late night address, Zelensky said that although Ukraine is not part of the 30-member defence alliance and was currently in a "grey zone between the West and Russia", yet "we defend our common values". "And being in a grey zone, we are enlightened people, just like you! That helps us to defend ourselves for a month." As the war completed 30 days on Thursday, the President said it had been "month of heroic resistance, a month of the darkest suffering. A month, when Russia enjoyed impunity for the destruction of the peaceful state, along with it the whole global security architecture". He accused Russia of "investing absurd amounts of money in death, while the world invested in life". Zelensky went on to thank Europe for uniting in their support for Ukraine, saying that three and a half million of the people who fled Ukraine are "already in the territory of NATO countries". "We are grateful for the support being provided to these people."

Russia's armed forces have taken control of the city of Izyum in Ukraine's Kharkov region, a top official in Moscow confirmed. Addressing a media briefing, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday that Russian forces also hit 60 Ukrainian military facilities over the past day, including two command posts, two multiple launch rocket systems, four ammunition depots, and 47 sites with equipment and military hardware, Xinhua news agency reported. Meanwhile, according to a spokesman for the Regional Military Administration of Ukraine's southern Black Sea port city of Odessa, the city came under shelling from Russian warships on Thursday. The strikes were aimed at putting "psychological pressure" on Odessa residents, Bratchuk said on Facebook, without providing information on whether there were any casualties in the incident. Earlier in the day, the press service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces said on Facebook that the military destroyed the Orsk large landing ship of the Russian forces near the southeastern city of Berdyansk.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted the first prisoner swap since Moscow waged its war on Kiev on February 24, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. Ten Ukrainian prisoners-of-war held by the Russian military were released in exchange for 10 Russian soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces, Xinhua news agency quoted Vereshchuk as saying in a Facebook post. Besides, Ukraine handed over 11 civilian Russian sailors, who were rescued from a sunken ship near Odessa to Russia in exchange for 19 Ukrainian civilian sailors, she added. "Under terms of exchange, the rescue ship itself will also be returned to Ukraine and will be sent to the port in Turkey."

Moscow may revise the moratorium on the death penalty in the country in the event of arising necessity, as there are no more international restrictions on the matter after the suspension of Russia's membership in the Council of Europe, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has told Sputnik."This is a very complicated issue. It is the issue of the world outlook, philosophy and morale. One can have different attitudes toward the death penalty. Therefore, there have always been opposite points of view. Nevertheless, we can say the following now: the motive for several decisions adopted by the [Russian] Constitutional Court was undoubtedly driven by the participation of our country in the Council of Europe conventions. Now, these conventions are no longer valid for us," Medvedev said.Medvedev added that the moratorium on the death penalty is not directly related to Russia's membership in the Council of Europe, however, he said, there are no more restrictions on the issue.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has approved the deployment of four new battle groups in the eastern part of the alliance, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, declared Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's Secretary General during a press briefing. The four new battle groups deployed along eastern part of the NATO alliance were approved on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported. In total, there will now be eight NATO battle groups deployed along the eastern flank of the alliance, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The organisation's heads of states were called for an extraordinary meeting to discuss further support for Ukraine, in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that started in February. Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said the alliance's top military commander has activated NATO's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense elements and allies are deploying additional chemical and biological and nuclear defenses.

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Members of popular Ukrainian band 'Antytila' have sent a video message to singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from the frontline, offering to perform remotely at the 'Concert For Ukraine'.As per Billboard, the 'Concert For Ukraine' is slated to take place on March 29 in Birmingham, England, and feature sets from Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Emeli Sande, Gregory Porter and Snow Patrol, with more acts to be added soon.The live two-hour special will raise funds for humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis.A video of the Ukrainian band 'Antytila' has gone viral on social media, in which they are asking to join the performance remotely from their home country.In the clip, they said, "Hello Ed, greetings from Kyiv! We are musicians of the Ukrainian band Antytila - one of the most popular Ukrainian bands with a lot of fans in Ukraine and all over the world. The war has changed our lives and now we are fighting with weapons against the Russian occupiers. We thank you, and all the British people for their support. Believe me, we are grateful, and we will always, always remember this."They then talked about making a live broadcast between Kyiv and Birmingham.They added, "Today we learned about your charity concert for Ukraine, which will take place in Birmingham. And we offer to make a live broadcast between Kyiv and Birmingham with Antytila temporary joining the gig remotely. Our band will play our music in Kyiv, a city that has not surrendered and will never surrender to the Russian occupiers. You will play in Birmingham."Further, they talked about the power of music."We are not afraid to play under the bombs. Through music, we want to show the world that Ukraine is strong and unconquered. We will fight and sing for victory in front of the whole world that supports us. So on March 29, we are ready," they signed off.

Citing Belarus' continuous strategic support to Russia and its military forces, Australia on Friday has placed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and members of his family along with 22 Russians including senior editors from organisations including Russia Today, the Strategic Culture Foundation, InfoRos and NewsFront.The Government of Belarus, under President Lukashenko, continues to provide strategic support to Russia and its military forces in their assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, said the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Speaking on the sanctions on Lukashenko's family, the statement read, "We are also placing sanctions on his son Viktor Lukashenko, who previously held senior national security roles in the Belarussian Government, and his wife Galina Lukashenko, the First Lady of Belarus." "These latest steps, one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, continue our focussed efforts to ensure that Russia and those who support its illegal, unprovoked invasion of its democratic neighbour, pay a high cost," it read.It slammed Belarus saying, "it has allowed Russia to fire ballistic missiles from Belarus into Ukraine, enabled the transport of Russian military personnel, heavy weapons and tanks into Ukraine, provided refuelling points in Belarus for Russian military aircraft and stored Russian weapons and military equipment."Australia reiterated its "unwavering" support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the people of Ukraine. It called upon Russia to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine.

Ukrainians will hold a rally in Warsaw, demanding NATO for a no-fly zone over the war-torn country and providing it with fighter jets as US President Joe Biden is set to visit Poland, reported local media. Biden will travel to Poland during his Europe trip to discuss international efforts to support Ukraine and impose "severe and unprecedented costs" on Russia for its invasion, the White House said in a statement. The statement said, on Friday, President Biden will travel to Warsaw, Poland, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with President Andrzej Duda. According to The Kyiv Independent, the rally will be taken out on March 25, 5 p.m. local time at Warsaw, Palace of Culture and Science, Marszalkowskiej Street entrance.As the war between Russia and Ukraine entered its second month, 2 more children are killed by Russian forces. They were killed in Donetsk Oblast. An 11-year-old girl in Mariupol and a 14-year-old boy in the town of Yasnaya Polyana lost their lives, according to the head of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported the local media.Ukrainian army reports taking down 130 troops, 9 tanks, 6 infantry fighting vehicles at the eastern front in one day. Ukraine's Operational Tactical Group "East" repels 5 separate attacks by Russian forces on Thursday, reported local media.Residents of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, were also warned to seal windows. Due to fire and explosions occurring in Kyiv Oblast, people in the capital are being asked to close their windows during the night, according to the Kyiv City State Administration.Russia launched its invasion last month after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent republics." Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to "demilitarize" and "de-nazify" the country.The Russian actions were immediately condemned by almost all the western countries, who rolled out severe sets of sanctions targetting the Russian economy, and key individuals.A number of countries, including the US, UK, France, Italy, Finland and several others, also banned Russian aircraft over their airspaces.

The UN member states have adopted a resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The resolution, drafted by Ukraine and allies, received 140 votes in favour and 5 votes against, while 38 countries abstained on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported. The text strongly encourages the continued negotiations between all parties, and again urges the immediate peaceful resolution of the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine "through political dialogue, negotiations, mediation and other peaceful means in accordance with international law."

Ukraine accused Moscow on Thursday of forcibly taking hundreds of thousands of civilians from shattered Ukrainian cities to Russia, where some may be used as “hostages” to pressure Kyiv to give up. Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine’s ombudsperson, said 402,000 people, including 84,000 children, have been taken against their will. The Kremlin gave nearly identical numbers for those who have been relocated, but said they wanted to go to Russia. Ukraine’s rebel-controlled eastern regions are predominantly Russian-speaking, and many people there have supported close ties to Moscow. A month into the invasion, meanwhile, the two sides traded heavy blows in what has become a devastating war of attrition. Ukraine’s navy said it sank a large Russian landing ship near the port city of Berdyansk that had been used to bring in armored vehicles. Russia claimed to have taken the eastern town of Izyum after fierce fighting. At an emergency NATO summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with the Western allies via video for planes, tanks, rockets, air defense systems and other weapons, saying his country is “defending our common values.”

The United States on Friday announced sanctions on five entities and individuals located in Russia and North Korea (DPRK) and one entity in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for proliferation activities under Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA).The Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act authorize the United States to impose sanctions against foreign individuals, private entities, and governments that engage in proliferation activities.As part of this action, the US imposed sanctions against the Russian entities Ardis Group of Companies LLC (Ardis Group); PFK Profpodshipnik; LLC, and Russian individual Igor Aleksandrovich Michurin; as well as DPRK entity Second Academy of Natural Science Foreign Affairs Bureau (SANS FAB); and DPRK individual Ri Sung Chol (aka Ri Su'ng-ch'o'l) for transferring sensitive items to North Korea's missile program.

Ukraine set up seven humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. At a media briefing, Vereshchuk on Thursday said 45 buses are set to evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol in Donetsk, adding that the evacuation will continue in towns and villages in the southern Zaporizhzhia and the central Kiev regions, Xinhua news agency reported. On Wednesday, Ukraine established nine humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from the above mentioned two regions.