Russia-Ukraine: Since Putin's army invaded on February 24, Russia has pummelled Ukrainian cities
Kyiv: As the Russian invasion of Ukraine marks one month today, latest media reports reveal that Russia wants to end the war by May 9, the day it celebrates to mark its victory over the Nazis more than 70 years ago.
As per a report by the Kyiv Independent, the intelligence sources from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have claimed that the Russian troops are being told that the war must end by May 9.
May 9, Victory Day is one of Russia's biggest holidays, with many schools and businesses closing for the day and military parades marching throughout the country, according to Time and Date. It marks Nazi Germany's surrender to Soviet forces in 1945.
Meanwhile, Russia has claimed that it will open a humanitarian corridor to allow foreign ships to leave Ukrainian ports. The supposed corridor would be 3 miles wide an open from 8 am to 7 pm on March 25. Earlier, Russia claimed there were drifting mines in the Black Sea.
US President Joe Biden and Western allies have pledged new sanctions and humanitarian aid in response to Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine, but their offers fell short of the more robust military assistance that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded for in a pair of live-video appearances.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine – the biggest offensive in Europe since World War II – and implied the possibility of nuclear escalation if the West intervened.
After Russian armed forces were unable to seize control of Ukraine with a lightning offensive in the first week of the war, they shifted strategy to the bombardment of cities with artillery, air strikes and missiles. Civilian targets including hospitals, churches and housing have been hit, leading United States President Joe Biden to call Putin a "war criminal".