The last:
- Biden called the Russian invasion of Ukraine “genocide” for the first time since the start of the war.
- The Ukrainian mother describes a “painful” decision to write on her young child’s body while fleeing.
- Putin says Russia will achieve “noble” goals in Ukraine, denying the impact of sanctions.
- A pro-Russian Ukrainian politician with ties to Putin has been detained, officials said.
- A UN official cited growing reports of rape and brutality against Ukrainian civilians.
Civilians fled areas of eastern Ukraine on Tuesday ahead of an expected Russian offensive, while Kyiv said it was investigating reports that Russian forces had used chemical weapons in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
The battle for Mariupol was reaching a decisive stage, with Ukrainian Marines hiding in the Azovstal industrial district.
If the Russians take over Azovstal, they will have full control of Mariupol, the stronghold between Russian-held areas to the west and east. The city is already ravaged by weeks of Russian bombing that has killed thousands of civilians.
A woman walks past a ruined theater and near a pro-Russian armored vehicle in Mariupol on Sunday. (Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters)
Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said the government was checking unverified information that Russia may have used chemical weapons while besieging Mariupol.
“There is a theory that these may be phosphorus munitions,” Malyar said in television comments.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an early address Wednesday morning that it was not possible to draw 100% firm conclusions about whether Russian forces had used chemical weapons in Mariupol, noting that it was not possible to conduct a proper investigation there.
Zelensky said what he called the repeated threats by some in Russia to use chemical weapons mean that the West must act now to prevent the deployment of such weapons. He did not give details.
Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Zelensky, wrote on Twitter that Ukrainian troops defending Mariupol are running out of supplies.
“Our soldiers remain blocked and have problems with supplies,” Podoliak wrote, noting that Zelensky and the Ukrainian General Staff are working “to find a solution and help our boys.” He did not give details, citing operational reasons.
If the Kremlin hates anything more than šŗš¦, that must be the word
– @ Podolyak_M
The United States cannot confirm the reports, Blinken said
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken turned to reports of the use of chemical weapons from Mariupol. “We can’t confirm anything, I don’t think they are Ukrainians,” Blinken told reporters.
“But let me say that we had reliable information that Russian forces could use various anti-riot agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, which would lead to a weakening of stronger symptoms, weakening … Ukrainian fighters and civilians as part of the aggressive campaign āin Mariupol.
Blinken said the United States has shared this information with Ukraine and other partners. “We are in direct conversation with the partners to try to determine what is really happening,” he said.
WATCH Why did this Kyiv resident decide to stay in Ukraine:
Kiyanka shares why she stays in Ukraine
Olga Serdyuk describes her daily struggles after the Russian invasion and shares why she decided to stay in the Ukrainian capital. “It’s hard to explain how much pain each of us has,” she said at 7:35 p.m.
The production, use and storage of chemical weapons are banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1997. Although condemned by human rights organizations, white phosphorus is not banned by the CWC.
Earlier, the United States and Britain said they were trying to verify the reports. If Russia has used chemical weapons, “all options are on the table” in response, said Britain’s junior defense minister James Happy in London.
WATCH Mariupol is threatened by Russians:
Experts investigate possible war crimes in Bucha, Mariupol at risk of entering Russia
WARNING: This video contains graphics Searching the ruins of the Ukrainian city of Bucha, investigators began the difficult task of gathering evidence of possible war crimes committed by Russia. To the south, the besieged city of Mariupol is expected to fall into the hands of Russian troops within days. 2:44
The governor of the Eastern Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said he had seen reports of incidents of possible use of chemical weapons in Mariupol, but could not confirm them.
“We know that last night around midnight a drone threw an hitherto unknown explosive device, and the people who were in and around the metal factory in Mariupol, there were three people, began to feel bad,” he told CNN.
They have been taken to hospital and their lives are not in danger, he said.
Asked about the total death toll in Mariupol, Kirilenko said: “We are currently discussing 20-22,000 deaths,” adding that the figure should be checked very carefully.
The Russians are redoubled their efforts in the east
Russia’s Defense Ministry has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters. Russian-backed separatist forces in the east have denied using chemical weapons in Mariupol, Interfax reported.
But if that turns out to be the case, it would mean a dangerous new development in a war that has already left a mark of death and destruction after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops across the border on February 24.
About a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people have been forced to flee their homes, cities have been reduced to rubble and thousands have been killed or injured – many civilians.
WATCH A woman in Toronto raises funds for Ukraine’s rescue mission:
A woman in Toronto raises funds for a rescue mission in Ukraine
Ivanka Sochoki shared her story of raising money to help people flee the Russian-occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. She is raising funds for two friends in Kherson who say they have helped more than 3,000 people leave the city. 10:45
Putin called the operation a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “denationalize” Ukraine, but caused condemnation and alarm in the West, which imposed a wide range of sanctions to put pressure on Russia’s economy.
After their troops sank in the face of Ukrainian resistance, the Russians abandoned their attempts to take the capital, Kyiv. But they are redoubled their efforts in the east, and Ukrainian forces are digging in to face a new offensive.
Luhansk Oblast Governor Sergei Gaidai called on residents to evacuate using five humanitarian corridors agreed in the east.
“It’s far scarier to stay and burn in your sleep from a Russian shell,” he wrote in the Telegram news app. “Evacuate, the situation is getting worse with each passing day. Take your essentials and head to the collection point. ā
A total of nine humanitarian corridors were agreed for Tuesday, including one for private cars from Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
A man embraces his wife, who will board a train at Slavyansk Central Station in Donbass on Tuesday. Ukrainian leaders in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Donbass have demanded that civilians be evacuated to the west in response to an expected Russian offensive to take over the eastern region. (Ronaldo Shemid / AFP / Getty Images)
Meanwhile, a strike struck what is believed to be a culinary school near the airport in Ukraine’s second-largest city on Tuesday, destroying the building and damaging others nearby, according to Associated Press reporters at the scene.
It was unclear what struck the building in Kharkiv, with witnesses describing a loud noise followed by an explosion. There were no immediate reports of deaths.
A pro-Russian Ukrainian politician has been detained
Ukrainian authorities say fugitive Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who is also a former leader of a pro-Russian opposition party and a close aide to Putin, has been detained in a special operation by the country’s SBU secret services.
Ivan Bakanov, head of Ukraine’s National Security Agency, told the agency’s telegram that Medvedchuk had been arrested. The statement came shortly after Zelensky posted a photo of Medvedchuk on social media, handcuffed and wearing a camouflage uniform with a Ukrainian flag sticker.
Medvedchuk was a former leader of the pro-Russian Opposition Platform for Life party. He was under house arrest before the war began and disappeared shortly after the outbreak of hostilities.
Putin is the godfather of Medvedchuk’s youngest daughter.
Earlier, Zelensky called for more weapons from the West to help end the siege of Mariupol and repel the expected Russian offensive in the east.
“Unfortunately, we are not getting as much as we need to end this war faster … in particular to lift the blockade of Mariupol,” he said.
The departure of Russian forces from the outskirts of Kyiv has brought to light accusations of war crimes, including the execution and rape of civilians. Moscow has denied the allegations of Ukrainian and Western provocations and has also accused Ukrainian forces of sexual violence.
French detectives, who arrived in Ukraine to investigate war crimes amid the Russian invasion, stand by a mass grave in the city of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv on Tuesday. (Vladislav Musienko / Associated Press)
Senior United Nations official Sima Bacchus told the Security Council on Monday that although all charges must be …
Add Comment