Mariupol

LONDON (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - The Pentagon says it's monitoring claims that Russian forces deployed a poisonous substance in the besieged eastern Ukrainian ...

A senior US defence official told reporters at the Pentagon that the US couldn't confirm the use of chemical weapons and was monitoring the situation. That could also explain why both soldiers and civilians suffered effects from the same attack, whether with chemical or conventional munitions. All had been pre-stocked with food and water in anticipation of a siege. But he too said he couldn't confirm allegations that Russia already had used chemical weapons in Ukraine. Yet, with the factory under fire and cut off by Russian troops, it would be difficult to secure environmental or biomedical samples for testing. There, he said, the ventilation system brought the same smoke and symptoms to people below.

Mariupol's defenders are running out of ammunition as Russian-backed forces advance on the Azovstal steelworks, the only area in the besieged port still ...

By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran By Alexis Moran We are grateful for US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities." By Alexis Moran

Ukrainian forces in Mariupol say a Russian drone dropped a chemical substance on the city overnight.

The lives of Ukrainians are being lost — lives that can no longer be returned." "The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use," he said. Another said he felt immediately unable to breathe and had collapsed with "cotton legs".

Fighting in eastern Ukraine is expected to intensify as Russian forces look poised to mount a major offensive that threatens to overwhelm Mariupol.

Russia has denied responsibility for the attack and has consistently denied targeting civilians in its assault on Ukraine. Children and families are under attack in the country, he said. Speaking with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that bodies are now "carpeted through the streets" of the besieged city. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of blocking attempted humanitarian convoys and hampering efforts to evacuate residents. An evacuation route will be opened from the besieged port city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, but only for those using private transport. The deputy defense minister said "official information" would be provided later. Ukrainian forces have held out for weeks in the besieged port city, but fears are growing for the civilians trapped without basic supplies as Russian troops appear poised to mount a major new offensive. Putin toured the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space port in Russia's far east, with Lukashenko during the visit. Many are women and children. "Over the last weeks we have suspended deliveries, stopped new business and are moving our limited R&D activities out of Russia," it said, referring to research and development. Heappey did not elaborate on what the potential options were. NBC News could not verify that claim.

The besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol has yielded up more horrors after six weeks of pummeling by Russian troops.

While building up forces in the east, Russia continued to strike targets across Ukraine in a bid to wear down the country’s defenses. The assertion by the Azov Regiment, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian military, could not be independently verified. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that Russian forces could use chemical weapons in the city, echoing similar, repeated warnings by Western officials. Thwarted in his apparent ambition to overrun the Ukrainian capital, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now building up forces for a new offensive in the eastern Donbas region, and insisted Tuesday that his campaign would achieve its goals. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope local support, logistics and terrain in the region favor Russia’s larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing its troops to finally turn the tide decisively in their favor.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the government was checking unverified information that Russia may have used chemical weapons while ...

Advertisement Advertisement