Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Photo: TASS

Peskov ruled out the possibility that Russia will officially declare war against Ukraine on May 9.

On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that from 8 am to 6 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the Russian armed forces will open a corridor to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steel plant area in Mariupol.

The armed forces of Russia and those of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) will cease fighting and retreat to a safe distance so that civilians can go "in any direction they choose," said the ministry.