How the Ukraine War Might End

The current momentum of the war shows no signs of slowing down.

Just over a month into the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia's defense ministry (MoD) announced it would radically reduce military activity near Kyiv to foster conditions needed to further peace talks. 

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Russia’s deputy defense minister says Moscow has decided to “fundamentally cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernigiv” in order to “increase mutual trust for future negotiations to agree and sign a peace deal with Ukraine.”

But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he has not seen “signs of real seriousness” from Russia to pursue peace. 

Current Developments

Meanwhile, Ukraine has accused Russian occupiers of “kidnapping” more than 70 people from the destroyed Mariupol children’s and maternity hospital to Russian territory. Mariupol city council wrote on Telegram:

“The occupiers continue to kidnap residents of Ukrainian Mariupol. More than 70 people were forcibly taken out of maternity hospital No. 2 in the Levoberezhny district - these are medical personnel and patients.”

Russian troops deported more than 20,000 Mariupol residents to “so-called filtration camps” and “remote cities” on Russian territory, the statement adds. The council said that the exiled people’s Ukrainian passports and other IDs had been confiscated.

Russia appears close to taking control of a key southern city, but Ukrainian counter-attacks elsewhere in the country are hindering Russian advances. 

Per The Visual Journalism Team at BBC, here are the latest developments on day 34 of the invasion:

• Ukrainian forces retake key areas to the north-west of Kyiv

• Russians advances around Chernihiv, Sumy, or Kharkiv stall

• But port city of Mariupol looks likely to fall to Russians soon

• Ukrainians still stopping Russian advances around Kherson

• Some Russian troops redeploying to eastern Donbas region

According to the MoD, the Russia-Ukraine war shows no signs of slowing down, as Russian forces are attempting to hold ground while they reorganize and reset their forces. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the most significant military mobilization in Europe since World War II, with countless casualties and more than a million people fleeing the country into neighboring Poland.