- Zelenskyy says Russia can use chemical weapons
- Austrian head of state meets Putin, warns of “massive” offensive
- UN official cites growing reports of rape
- US urges India to cut Russian oil and gas
LVIV, Ukraine, April 12 – Ukraine has asked for more weapons from the west to help it lift the siege of Mariupol and repel an expected Russian offensive in the east, as more reports of rapes and brutality against Ukrainians Civilians by Russian forces emerged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a televised address late Monday that Russia could resort to chemical weapons as it masses troops in the eastern Donbass region for a new attack on the port of Mariupol, where thousands are believed to have died in a bang-of-seven week siege. Continue reading
“When it comes to the necessary weapons, we are still dependent on supplies, on our partners. Unfortunately, we are not getting as much as we need to end this war faster… In particular, to unblock Mariupol,” he said.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, the first European Union leader to have met Russian President Vladimir Putin in person since he launched what he called a “special operation,” said after talks in Moscow on Monday that an offensive in the east “is being massively prepared scale”. Read more
After suffering heavy losses and withdrawing troops from the Kyiv suburbs, Russia turned its attention to the Donbass, where it is demanding that Ukraine cede control to separatist fighters. The capture of Mariupol would allow Moscow to attempt to encircle the main Ukrainian force to the east.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, during a regular early-morning raid from the conflict zone, said Russian forces are not only trying to take control of Mariupol, but are also intent on destroying Popasna, a town more than a two-hour drive west of Luhansk , to conquer were ready to launch an offensive towards Kurakhov in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian military said its forces repelled attacks in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, destroying four tanks, five armored vehicles, 26 vehicles and eight enemy artillery systems. It also said its forces shot down a Russian plane, two helicopters and four drones. Reuters could not independently verify these numbers.
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, urged residents to evacuate Tuesday via five humanitarian corridors agreed for the eastern Ukrainian region.
“It’s much scarier to stay in a Russian shell and burn while you sleep,” he wrote on messaging app Telegram. “Evacuation, the situation is getting worse every day. Take your essentials and go to the pickup point.”
A total of nine humanitarian corridors have been agreed for Tuesday, including one for private cars from Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Monday Britain was working with its partners to verify the details of reports that Russian forces may have used chemical warfare agents in an attack on Mariupol.
“There are some things that are beyond the pale and the use of chemical weapons will provoke a response and all options are on the table as to what that response might look like,” British junior defense secretary James Heappey told Sky News.
Alleged rapes and executions
The withdrawal of Russian forces from the outskirts of Kyiv has brought to light harrowing allegations of war crimes, including executions and rapes of civilians. Moscow rejects the allegations as Ukrainian and Western provocation and also accuses Ukrainian forces of sexual violence.
Senior UN official Sima Bahous told the Security Council on Monday that while all allegations must be independently investigated, “brutality against Ukrainian civilians has raised all red flags.”
“We’re hearing more and more about rape and sexual violence,” she said. Continue reading
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN denied the allegations, accusing Ukraine and its allies of “a clear intention to portray Russian soldiers as sadists and rapists”.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine’s government is being ordered by the United States to sow false evidence of Russian violence against civilians, despite what Moscow described as “unprecedented measures to save civilians.” Continue reading
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine accused Russia of detaining civilians, including journalists, activists and elected officials, in prisons on Russian territory. Reuters could not verify the claim. Continue reading
US PRINT
Putin is scheduled to meet with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Western sanctions, news outlets in Russia and Belarus reported. Belarus is an important staging area for Russian forces.
The United States has tried to pressure Putin to withdraw his forces by banning Russian oil and gas and encouraging allies to follow suit.
But world powers like China and India have refrained from sanctioning Russia. Lured by steep oil rebates, India has bought more Russian crude since the invasion began on February 24 than in all of last year, data compiled by Reuters shows. Continue reading
In a video call, US President Joe Biden told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “very clearly that it is not in their interest” to increase reliance on Russian energy, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will not pause fighting for a new round of peace talks, which were last convened on April 1.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus; writing by Stephen Coates & Simon Cameron-Moore; Adaptation of Lincoln Feast.