The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service said that a report that Russia had used chemical weapons, although not verified, was an expected development now that Russia’s conventional attack has stopped. The first alleged use of an unspecified chemical agent came Monday from the besieged port of Mariupol, where a unit of Ukrainian fighters said three people had respiratory problems after a mysterious substance was dispersed by a Russian drone. Although the symptoms were not described as serious and no evidence was provided for the incident, any use of banned chemical weapons would signal a significant escalation of Russia’s seven-week war with Ukraine. Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told the Globe and Mail that Russia had suffered a major “strategic failure” and had been forced to withdraw from the occupied territories around Kyiv and northern Ukraine. However, he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not given up his goal of trying to occupy all of Ukraine – and that Russia had already shown in the Syrian civil war, which it supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad, that it forgave the use of chemicals. weapons. . Lt. General Kyrylo Budanov.Anton Skyba / The Globe and Mail Russia’s security services have also been accused of using banned chemicals to poison former Kremlin critics, including opposition leader Alexey Navalny and former KGB agent Sergey Skripal. Lt. Gen. Budanov, who heads Ukraine’s GUR intelligence service, said it was impossible to confirm what had happened in Mariupol, as they could not access the scene of the alleged incident. However, he said that people should understand that chemical weapons could become a feature of the conflict in Ukraine. The question “whether Russia has used chemical weapons or not” remains open, but if the question is “can it use them?” “I would answer yes because the magnitude of the stupidity of the Russian authorities knows no bounds,” General Budanov said in an interview in Kyiv. “Why is everyone talking ‘is it possible or not?’ We have seen many years ago [in Syria] that is possible “. Mariupol has been under siege since the first days of the Russian invasion, which began on February 24. Large areas of the city have been completely destroyed. On Tuesday, Mayor Vadym Boichenko said the latest estimate was that 21,000 residents had been killed. On Tuesday, the Azov Battalion – an extreme right-wing formation that led the Mariupol defense – said the three victims were in “relatively good condition” despite suffering from shortness of breath, high blood pressure and other symptoms. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the United States could not confirm whether chemical weapons had been used in Mariupol. “We are in direct conversation with the partners to try to determine what really happened. “This is a real concern,” he said. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the global body overseeing efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, said in a statement that it was “closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine.” Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said in a televised statement that there was a “theory” that phosphorus munitions had been used in Mariupol. Phosphorus weapons are not completely banned under international law – although their use against civilian targets is prohibited. The Mariupol theater is still in ruins after a March 16 airstrike by the Russian army for weeks to seize the strategic city. A Russian flag is waving next to a destroyed building in Mariupol. A woman and a child pass by Russian soldiers. Photos: Alexander Nemenov / AFP / Getty Images Lt. Gen. Budanov said that after his withdrawal from the Kiev region, he expected the Russian army to now focus on trying to subdue Mariupol and occupy Kharkiv, the largest city in eastern Ukraine. But that did not mean Putin’s abandoned his goal of occupying the Ukrainian capital. “They will concentrate their forces in the southeastern and northeastern directions, focusing their efforts on the city of Kharkov. Is there still a threat to Kyiv and other northern regions of Ukraine? “Unfortunately, this question remains,” he said. “Russia’s goals have not changed. “They aimed to destroy the existence of this state and conquer Ukraine – and that goal remains.” Russia’s expectation that Ukraine would capitulate quickly seems to have been based on misinformation about the strength of the Ukrainian army, as well as outdated ideas about the level of support for Putin and Russia by the Ukrainian people. There have been widespread reports of a crackdown on Russia’s intelligence community in recent weeks, in which several senior officials have been jailed. Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Budanov and the GUR have boosted their reputation by preparing for any major move the Russian military has made so far in the conflict. “Ukraine has shattered the myth of the second most powerful army in the world. “Russia will not recover from this for the next four years, from a military perspective,” said the short-haired 36-year-old, who was appointed two years ago by President Volodymyr Zelensky as the GUR’s new intelligence chief. MURAT YUKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS Ukrainian forces have taken advantage of the situation to retake lost territory and launch counterattacks. On Tuesday, it appeared that Ukrainian forces may have carried out a rare attack – or sabotage operation – on Russian soil, as a railway line in the city of Belgorod was damaged by an apparent explosion. Belgorod is a major railway junction used by Russian troops who have withdrawn from the Kiev region and are now being redeployed to the front line in eastern Ukraine. Major. Budanov said he “could neither confirm nor deny” that the GUR had been involved in the apparent attack on Russia’s railway system. “I want to emphasize that Russia is the one that is carrying out aggressive actions against Ukraine. “I do not understand why some people are surprised that some things are happening on the territory of the country that is carrying out this aggression.” Russia’s withdrawal from the Kiev region has allowed residents and the world to see the horror caused by Russian forces during the monthly occupation of the northern suburbs of the capital, such as Butsa. Anatoly Fedoruk, the mayor of Bukha, said on Tuesday that authorities had so far found the bodies of 403 people believed to have died as a result of Russian military action. There have also been widespread reports of organized rape, torture and looting by Russian troops. Speaking on Tuesday after a meeting with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, Mr Putin said reports of atrocities in Bukha and other parts of Ukraine were “false”. He described Russia’s 48-day war against Ukraine – which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” – as “noble”, despite the growing death toll and growing damage to the Russian economy caused by Western sanctions. Lt. Gen. Budanov said it was unclear whether the behavior of Russian troops in Bukha and elsewhere had been ordered by their commanders or was the result of poor discipline. He said that while Mr Putin was unlikely to have ordered the acts, he certainly knew them by now. “After showing these things to the world, he knows for sure. And what has he done? Has it stopped? No he did not. “This proves that he is a war criminal and all his troops who do these things are war criminals.”
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