Russia has ‘unleashed chemical weapons on Mariupol’ with Ukrainian troops reporting they are suffering breathing issues and dizziness – as the besieged port city’s mayor reveals more than 10,000 civilians have died in the conflict so far.
The unidentified agent is said to have been dropped on the city from a Russian drone, according to unverified reports from the city’s Azov regiment.
Details of the assault, via the Telegram messaging app, say a ‘poisonous substance of unknown origin’ has led to the city’s defenders suffering from symptoms including breathing issues, ‘respiratory failure’ and ‘vestibulo-atactic syndrome’.
The alleged attack came just hours after a pro-Russian general in Donbas appeared to promote the idea of using chemical weapons, telling state media it would ‘smoke the Ukrainian moles out of the underground’.
It also follows a warning from the Ministry of Defence yesterday suggesting that Russia could turn to the use of a deadly phosphorus bombs amid attempts to finally break heroic resistance in Mariupol.
The port city has seen the most intense fighting since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine and has suffered more than 10,000 civilian deaths to date, according to its mayor Vadym Boychenko.
He also warned the toll could rise beyond 20,000 and claimed Russian forces are bringing mobile cremation equipment into the city to dispose of bodies.
The mayor’s comments emerged as Russia claimed it destroyed several Ukrainian air-defence systems in what appeared to be a renewed push to gain air superiority and take out weapons described as crucial ahead of what is expected to be a broad new offensive in the east.
A picture released by the Azov Regiment claiming to show troops destroying Russian tanks and vehicles in Mariupol
A theatre destroyed by Russian shelling in Mariupol on Sunday, a city that has been the focal point of Russian aggression since the outset of the war
Emergency workers remove debris of a building destroyed in the course of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the southern port city of Mariupol on Sunday
An armoured vehicle of pro-Russian troops is seen in the street of Mariupol as a fire rages in the background
Graves of civilians killed during Ukraine-Russia conflict are seen next to apartment buildings in Mariupol on Sunday
Service members of pro-Russian troops pictured driving an armoured vehicle in the besieged city of Mariupol
Ukrainian marines have already said they are preparing for a ‘last battle’ to control Mariupol after being surrounded by invading Russian forces.
The 36th marine brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces said on Facebook that anyone whose limbs have not been torn off will be ordered to fight, and battles are currently being carried out by cooks, drivers and musicians.
They said earlier today: ‘Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out.
‘It’s death for some of us, and captivity for the rest,’ it added, saying it had been ‘pushed back’ and ‘surrounded’ by the Russian army.
It said it had been defending the port for 47 days and ‘did everything possible and impossible’ to retain control of the city.
But Moscow today claimed it hit four S-300 launchers near the central city of Dnipro that had been provided by a European country it did not name.
Putin’s invasion stalled on several fronts as it met stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, who prevented the Russians from taking the capital and other cities.
And the failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has hampered Moscow’s ability to provide air cover for troops on the ground, limiting their advances and exposing them to greater losses.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities – a strategy that has left many urban areas flattened and killed thousands of people.
But Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of committing atrocities, particularly in the Kyiv region where mass graves were discovered outside a church in Bucha yesterday.
Emergency workers remove debris of a building destroyed by Russian shelling on Sunday
Graves of civilians have been dug next to apartment buildings in Mariupol, where more than 10,000 have died according to the city’s mayor
A heavy armoured vehicle is destroyed amid surrounding buildings in Mariupol
An airstrike on a train station being used by civilians trying to escape the area also killed 57 people last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded for more Western aid, saying his forces need heavier firepower to resist the coming onslaught and push Russian forces back.
Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that the coming week could be crucial and that Western support – or the lack thereof – may prove decisive.
‘To be honest, whether we will be able to (survive) depends on this’, Mr Zelensky said.
‘Unfortunately, I don’t have the confidence that we will be receiving everything we need.’
His plea came as Putin is understood to be preparing to double or even treble his number of forces in the eastern Donbas region.
Following his troops’ failure to capture Kyiv and other parts of the country’s north after more than six weeks’ of fighting, the Russian president has withdrawn some of his forces.
Putin is now beginning to redeploy some of those troops towards the Donbas, parts of which are already controlled by Russian-backed separatist groups.
He is said to be eyeing a battlefield win in eastern Ukraine within the next month, so that it will coincide with Russia’s annual military parade in Red Square on 9 May.
The date marks the Nazis’ surrender in the Second World War.
However, although they noted Mr Putin would desire some form of victory by that date, Western officials have cast doubt on his hopes of doing so.
They have said there is an ‘incredibly important’ window for the West to increase support for Ukraine as Russia takes time to prepare a new offensive.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk