Firefighters are clearing debris and searching for bodies in the rubble in Kharkov, Ukraine. Ukraine is investigating allegations that a poisonous substance fell on the besieged Mariupol, as Western officials warned on Tuesday that any use of chemical weapons by Russia would be a serious escalation of the already devastating war. Frustrated in his apparent ambition to seize the Ukrainian capital, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now gathering strength for a new offensive in the eastern Donbass region and insisted on Tuesday that his campaign would continue until it achieves its goals. He said Russia had “no choice” in launching what it calls a “special military operation”, saying it was to protect civilians in the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbass region. As Ukrainian forces prepare for a new offensive, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said it was possible phosphorus munitions – which cause horrific burns but are not classified as chemical weapons – were used in Mariupol. This city is located in Donbas and has been leveled within six weeks of heavy shelling by Russian troops that the mayor said have left more than 10,000 civilians dead, with their bodies “on the streets”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that Russian forces could use chemical weapons in the city, echoing similar, repeated warnings from Western officials. Both leaders inside and outside the country said they were urgently investigating an unconfirmed claim by a Ukrainian constitution that a poisonous substance had fallen on fighters in Mariupol. 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”. 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. In other areas, they have been retired for reorganization. Their retreat 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. The war has also driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes – including almost two-thirds of all children. However, there are fears of an even wider massacre that will follow, amid indications that the Russian army is preparing for a major offensive in Donbas. A senior U.S. defense official on Monday described a long-running Russian convoy heading to the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, air force and infantry support. Putin insisted during a visit to Russia’s Far East that the military operation would prevail and 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. . Donbass has been torn apart by fighting between Russia’s separatist allies and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and Russia has acknowledged 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. Describing a battle around a steel plant in Mariupol, a separatist official allied with Russia appeared to be urging the use of chemical weapons on Monday, telling Russian state television that separatists should seize the plant from all Ukrainian forces. . “And then we will use chemical troops to smoke them from there,” he said. However, Eduard Basurin told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday that the separatist forces “have not used any chemical weapons in Mariupol”. It was the Ukrainian constitution defending the factory that claimed 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. Trash said the UK was “working urgently” to investigate the report, while Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the United States could not confirm the drone report from Mariupol. But Kirby 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. The city has already seen some of the heaviest attacks and civilian casualties in the war, but ground, naval and air strikes by Russian forces fighting to seize it have increasingly limited information about what is happening inside the city. . Speaking by telephone to the Associated Press on Monday, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of blocking weeks of humanitarian convoys in the city, in part to cover up the massacre. Boichenko said the death toll in Mariupol alone could exceed 20,000. He said about 120,000 civilians in the city are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications. Boichenko also gave new details about the claims of Ukrainian officials that Russian forces have brought mobile incineration equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the bodies of the victims of the siege. Boichenko spoke of Ukrainian-controlled territories outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had many sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of corpses by Russian forces in the city, but did not specify the sources. 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.
