Update 2022-03-30 (6): According to the US Department of Defence on Wednesday (30 March), Russian troops are withdrawing from the site of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant towards Belarus. In addition, Russian military officials announced a ceasefire in the embattled city of Mariupol in the south of the country on Thursday (31 March) to evacuate civilians.
Update 2022-03-30 (5): According to Ukrainian military reports on Wednesday (30 March), army units took control of an important section of a highway outside the city of Kharkiv in the east of the country and pushed Russian troops back some 10 kilometres. All Russian occupiers were also pushed out of the town of Trostianets (Sumy oblast), according to Ukrainian sources.
Update 2022-03-30 (4): According to the United Nations on Wednesday (30 March), more than four million civilians have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. Despite the Russian announcement of a reduction in fighting in areas in the north of the country, Ukrainian sources reported shelling of the towns of Irpin (Kiev oblast) and Chernihiv on Wednesday (30 March). According to the mayor of Irpin, at least 200 civilians were killed by the fighting in the town, which is located northwest of Kiev.
Update 2022-03-30 (3): According to media reports on Wednesday (30 March), the death toll from shelling of the regional administration in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Tuesday (29 March) rose to at least 15 civilians. In the heavily contested city of Mariupol, Russian units shelled International Red Cross facilities, according to reports on Wednesday (30 March). There are currently no reports of possible casualties.
Update 2022-03-30 (2): Despite earlier claims from Russian authorities to scale back military activities, Ukrainian authorities reported heavy bombardment in Chernihiv Wednesday night (30 March, local time). In addition, the Russian military reportedly destroyed an ammunition depot near the village of Kamyanka in the Donetsk region and a fuel depot near Khmelnitsky in the west of the country was also hit. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 70 civilians were abducted from a maternity ward in Mariupol.
Update 2022-03-30 (1): According to reports, Russian units shelled residential areas in the Luhansk region. There are said to be numerous casualties. Several explosions were heard in Kyiv on Wednesday morning (30 March, local time). Air alerts were sounded across the country, including in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Poltava Oblast. An EU facility in Mariupol was also reportedly shelled. With regard to the alleged Russian troop withdrawal, only some units are said to have been withdrawn from the vicinity of Kyiv and Chernihiv.
