UK WARNS OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE BY RUSSIAN FORCES

Mon 11 April 2022:

The British government warned on Monday that Russian forces could use chemical weapons in the beleaguered Ukrainian coastal city of Mariupol.

Following an analysis of Russian operations in the country’s eastern regions, particularly the Donetsk Oblast, where phosphorus gas was reportedly used by Russian forces, Downing Street has expressed concern about the possibility of chemical weapons being used in Mariupol to enforce a Russian victory.

“Russian forces prior use of phosphorous munitions in the Donetsk Oblast raises the possibility of their future employment in Mariupol as fighting for the city intensifies,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Russian shelling has continued in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with Ukrainian forces repulsing several assaults resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles, and artillery equipment,” the statement added.

The Defense Ministry also warned of the use of unguided bombs by Moscow that greatly increases the risk of civilian casualties and fatalities as in Ukraine’s eastern Kramatorsk city last week in which hundreds of civilians were killed in a rocket attack at a train station.

“Russia’s continued reliance on unguided bombs decreases their ability to discriminate when targeting and conducting strikes while greatly increasing the risk of further civilian casualties.”

According to UN estimates, at least 1,793 people have been killed and 2,439 injured in Ukraine since Russia began war on February 24, with the exact tally expected to be far higher.

According to the UN refugee agency, over 4.5 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, with millions more internally displaced.

NEWS AGENCIES

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