Gen Richard Dannatt, the former Chief of the General Staff of the British army in the early 2000s spoke about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. He said that he thought the renewed reports of fighting at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol represented Russia attempting to secure some sort of victory announcement for the 9 May commemoration of the end of the second world war. "It would appear they’ve now resumed the direct attack in order to try and snuff out the remaining parts of the resistance so that they can claim on Monday that they have captured Mariupol, and therefore they have completed their land corridor from Crimea through the Donbas into Russia proper" he said.
"This is a tragedy that’s unfolding in front of our eyes. Some of the civilians may get out over a two or three-day ceasefire, which is being talked about, but for the soldiers in there, I’m afraid the prospect is very grim" he added.
Meanwhile, Russia on 24th February launched the war on Ukraine. And, according to the latest updates, Russia has said it will implement a daytime ceasefire for three days from Thursday to allow more civilian evacuations from the Azovstal plant. “The Russian armed forces will from 8 am to 6 pm (Moscow time) on 5-7 May open a humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant to evacuate civilians,” the defence ministry said. However, The UK is providing £45m in funding to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine and at its borders, the government has said. The money will go to UN agencies and charities delivering vital aid and supporting survivors of sexual violence in the war-torn nation. Also, Joe Biden said he would speak with other G7 leaders this week about potential additional sanctions against Russia. His treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said the US was in constant discussions with its partners about this.