Ukrainian forces were preparing for a new Russian offensive in the east of the country on Tuesday, with Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai urging residents to evacuate as soon as possible using the agreed humanitarian corridors. “It’s a lot scarier to stay and burn in your sleep than a Russian shell,” Gaidai told social media. “Evacuation: with each passing day the situation is getting worse. Take the essentials and head to the pick-up point. “ Russian troops also continued to pound the Azovstal industrial area of Mariupol, where Ukrainian Marines made a final stop in defense of the strategic port, which has been largely in ruins after six weeks of heavy bombardment. Russia is believed to be trying to seize Mariupol to link occupied Crimea to these self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in the eastern Donbass region, but Kyiv has insisted that the city’s defense continue. “The connection with the units of the defense forces that heroically hold the city is stable and maintained,” the Ukrainian military administration said, adding that Russian forces were targeting the town of Popasna, two hours west of Luhansk, and were also preparing to attack direction of Kurakhove, near Donetsk. War map of Ukraine Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Kyiv was checking unconfirmed reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons in the siege of Mariupol, whose mayor said more than 10,000 civilians had been killed. “There is a theory that these could be phosphorus munitions. “Official information will come later,” Malyar said. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment, but Moscow-backed separatist forces have denied using chemical weapons. The Mariupol city council said the area where the poisonous substance was allegedly used could not be examined due to enemy fire, adding that Ukrainian soldiers who had come in contact with it were being monitored for possible symptoms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last night that Russia could use chemical weapons, and both the United States and the United Kingdom said they were trying to verify the reports. Zelensky on Tuesday also urged the EU to impose sanctions on all Russian banks and Russian oil and to set firm deadlines for ending Russian gas imports. “We can not wait,” he told the Lithuanian parliament. “We need strong decisions. “Only then will the Russian government understand that it needs to pursue peace, that war will turn into a disaster for them.” While Russian troops have withdrawn from the Ukrainian capital amid fierce resistance and apparent logistical problems, Western officials and analysts say the invading force is preparing for a major offensive in the east. “Fighting in eastern Ukraine will intensify over the next two to three weeks as Russia continues to refocus its efforts there,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “Russian attacks remain focused near Donetsk and Luhansk with further battles around Kherson and Mykolaiv and a new impetus towards Kramatorsk.” Vladimir Putin visits the Vostochny spaceport in the far east of Russia on Tuesday. Photo: Evgeny Biyatov / Kremlin Pool / Sputnik / EPA Visiting Russia’s Far East on Tuesday, Putin said the country’s military would “undoubtedly achieve” its goals in Ukraine, saying its goals were “noble” and that the operation was aimed at ensuring Russia’s security. The Russian president said Moscow had no choice but to launch an attack on February 24. “Its aims are clear and noble,” Putin said, adding that the main goal was to save the people in Russian-controlled Donbas. “On the one hand, we are helping and rescuing people, and on the other, we are just taking steps to ensure the security of Russia itself,” Putin said. “It is clear that we had no choice. It was the right decision. “ Traveling the Vostochny spacecraft 3,450 miles (5,550 km) from Moscow with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Putin added that efforts to isolate Russia would fail, citing the success of the Soviet space program during the Cold War. “We do not intend to isolate ourselves,” Putin said. “It is impossible to isolate oneself seriously in the modern world – especially such a huge country as Russia.” Belarus has said it has been unjustly described as an “accomplice of the attacker” in Ukraine. The Russian invasion has so far driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes, including more than 4 million who have fled abroad. Russian forces have been blamed for many atrocities, including the killing of hundreds of civilians. Unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West in response are likely to cause Russia’s economy to shrink by more than 10% in 2022, the biggest drop in GDP since the years after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the former finance minister said. Alexei Kudrin said on Tuesday.
