Russian troops, who were thwarted in pushing for the Ukrainian capital, are now focusing on the eastern part of Donbass, where Ukraine said on Tuesday it was investigating allegations that a poisonous substance had been dropped on its troops. It was not clear what the substance could be, but Western officials warned that any use of chemical weapons by Russia would be a serious escalation of the already devastating war. Russia invaded on February 24 with the aim of occupying Kyiv, according to Western officials, overthrowing the government and establishing a pro-Moscow regime. In the six weeks since Russia’s ground offensive, its forces have probably lost thousands of fighters and the military has been blamed for killing civilians and other atrocities. Putin insisted on Tuesday that his invasion was aimed at protecting people in rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine backed by Moscow and “ensuring the security of Russia itself.” He said Russia had “no choice but” to launch what it called a “special military operation” and promised that it would “continue until it is fully operational and fulfilling its tasks.” Putin’s forces are currently preparing for a major offensive in Donbass, which has been torn apart by fighting between Russia’s separatist allies and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and where Russia has recognized the separatists’ claims of independence. Military generals say Russian leaders seem to be hoping that local support, logistics and ground in the region favor Russia’s largest and best-armed army, potentially allowing its troops to eventually turn the tide in their favor. In Mariupol, a strategic port in Donbass, a Ukrainian regiment defending a steelworks claimed that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance on the city. He said there were no serious injuries. The claim of Azov’s Constitution, an extreme right-wing group now part of the Ukrainian army, could not be independently verified. It came after an official of Russia’s separatist allies appeared to be urging the use of chemical weapons, telling Russian state television on Monday that separatist forces should occupy the plant, blocking all exits first. “And then we will use chemical weapons to smoke them from there,” said official Eduard Basurin. He denied on Tuesday that separatist forces had used chemical weapons in Mariupol. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said officials were investigating and that possible phosphorus munitions – which cause horrific burns but are not classified as chemical weapons – were used in Mariupol. Much of the city has been demolished in weeks of heavy shelling by Russian troops. The mayor said Monday that the siege had left more than 10,000 dead, with their bodies “on the streets”. Mayor Vadym Boychenko said the death toll in Mariupol alone could exceed 20,000 and gave new details about Ukrainian officials’ claims that Russian forces had brought mobile incineration equipment to dispose of the bodies. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, acknowledged the challenges facing Ukrainian troops in Mariupol. He said on Twitter that they remain blocked and have problems with supplies, while Zelensky and the Ukrainian generals “are doing everything possible (and impossible) to find a solution and help our children.” “For more than 1.5 months, our defenders have been protecting the city from (Russian) troops, which are 10+ times larger,” Podolyak said in a tweet. “They are fighting under bombs for every meter of the city. “They are forcing Russia to pay a huge price.” British Foreign Secretary Liz Tras said the use of chemical weapons “would be a tough escalation in this conflict”, while Australian Foreign Minister Mariz Payne said it would be a “gross violation of international law”. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the United States could not confirm the drone report. However, it noted the government’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s ability to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas canisters, in Ukraine.” Britain, meanwhile, has warned that Russia could use phosphorus bombs – which are banned in civilian areas under international law – in Mariupol. In the face of fierce resistance from Western-backed Ukrainian forces, Russian forces are increasingly relying on city bombing, leveling many urban areas and leaving thousands dead. The war has also driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes – including almost two-thirds of all children. The retreat of Moscow from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, has led to the discovery of a large number of seemingly slaughtered civilians, sparking widespread condemnation and accusations that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine. Reports have focused mainly on northwestern suburbs such as Bucha, but the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said on Tuesday it was also investigating events in the northeastern Brovary region. The prosecutor’s office said the bodies of six civilians were found with gunshot wounds in a basement in the village of Shevchenkov and that Russian forces were believed to be responsible. Prosecutors are also investigating allegations that Russian forces fired on a convoy of civilians trying to flee the village of Peremocha in the Brovary area, killing four people, including a 13-year-old boy. In another attack near Boutsa, five people were killed, including two children, when a car was shot at, prosecutors said. Putin falsely claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine’s accusation that hundreds of civilians had been killed by Russian troops in the city of Butsa was “false.” Associated Press reporters saw dozens of bodies in and around the city, some with their hands tied, which appeared to have been shot at close range. The Russian leader spoke at the Vostochny space launch site in the Far East of the country, during his first known raid outside Moscow since the start of the war. He also said that foreign forces would not be able to isolate Russia. He said Russia’s economy and financial system had withstood the blow of what he called Western blitz sanctions and argued that they would do well by raising prices on basic commodities such as fertilizers, leading to food shortages and increasing migratory flows to the West. . Referring to the pace of the campaign, Putin said Russia was moving “calmly and rhythmically” because it wanted to “achieve the planned goals by minimizing losses.” As it rallied forces in the east, Russia continued to hit targets across Ukraine in an effort to weaken the country’s defenses. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had used used air-to-air missiles to destroy an ammunition depot and an aircraft hangar at Starokostiantyniv in the western Khmelnytskyi district and an ammunition depot near Kyiv.
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington and AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.
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