HomeWorld NewsRussia-Ukraine war latest news: Russia could use chemical and biological weapons, US warns, as sanctions against Moscow are tightened – The Guardian
Russia-Ukraine war latest news: Russia could use chemical and biological weapons, US warns, as sanctions against Moscow are tightened – The Guardian
The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, has been presenting the Kremlin’s allegations that Ukraine and the US had a plot to spread biological weapons with migratory birds, bats and insects.
Nebenzya issued a chilling warning to Eastern Europe that biological agents could spread across Ukraine’s borders:
We call upon you to think about a very real biological danger to the people in European countries, which can result from an uncontrolled spread of bio agents from Ukraine. And if there is a such a scenario then all Europe will be covered.
The risk of this is very real given the interests of the radical nationalist groups in Ukraine are showing towards the work with dangerous pathogens conducted together with the ministry of defence of the United States.
Russia’s Ambassador to the U.N. Vasily Nebenzya attends the United Nations Security Council meeting on Threats to International Peace and Security, in New York City, U.S. March 11, 2022. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
After Nebenzya spoke, Albania, the US and France voiced alarm that the allegations may be an advance cover story for Russian plans to unleash chemical or biological weapons.
US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said:
The intent behind these lies seem clear and it is deeply troubling. We believe Russia could use chemical or biological agents for assassinations as part of a false flag incident or to support tactical military operations.
US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield provides remarks on the ongoing Ukraine invasion, in videos recently tweeted by the US State Department:
Department of State(@StateDept)
.@USAmbUN: The Russian government is attempting to use the @UN Security Council to spread disinformation and deceive people in an attempt to justify Putin’s war of choice against the Ukrainian people. #StoptheLiespic.twitter.com/lzh5jXwSka
.@USAmbUN: Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States – not near Russia’s border or anywhere. pic.twitter.com/0LQ1cyyS0J
.@USAmbUN on Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine: The Kremlin has attacked homes, schools, orphanages, and hospitals. The Kremlin has attacked civilian infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities. The Russian military is laying siege to Ukrainian cities. pic.twitter.com/3lifYhuDkN
The US issued a new round of sanctions against Russian oligarchs and elites today as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, reports Reuters.
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on more Russian oligarchs and elites, increasing pressure on those close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in punishment over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Those hit with sanctions on Friday include 10 people comprising VTB Bank’s board, 12 members of the Duma and the family of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.
US president Joe Biden tweeted out that he is looking forward to signing a spending bill that includes $13.6bn in aid to Ukraine:
Last night, Congress passed a bipartisan spending bill that included an additional $13.6 billion in new assistance for the Ukrainian people. I look forward to signing that immediately.
President Biden(@POTUS)
Last night, Congress passed a bipartisan spending bill that included an additional $13.6 billion in new assistance for the Ukrainian people.
Russia agreed today to supply Belarus with the latest military equipment in the near future, reported Reuters citing a Belarus news agency.
The leaders of Russia and Belarus agreed on Friday that Moscow would supply its smaller neighbour with the most up-to-date military equipment in the near future, the official Belarus Belta news agency said.
Belta also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko agreed at their Kremlin meeting on joint steps for mutual support in face of Western sanctions, including on energy prices. It did not give details.
Footage posted to social media from Melitopol’s city hall seems to show Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov being abducted by Russian forces.
From political analyst Mattia Nelles:
The [Ukraine] presidential office reports that the Russian occupiers have kidnapped Ivan Fedoro, the major of Melitopol in southern Ukraine. Security camera of the city hall seem to show the abduction.
Mattia Nelles(@mattia_n)
The presidential office reports that the Russian occupiers have kidnapped Ivan Fedoro, the major of Melitopol in southern #Ukraine. Security camera of the city hall seem to show the abduction. pic.twitter.com/KfaXFQttn0
Ukraine accused Russia of violating international law today by abducting the mayor of Melitopol, a Ukrainian city that fell under Russia’s control during the Ukraine invasion, reports Reuters.
Ukrainian officials said Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped after being falsely accused of terrorism.
“The abduction of the mayor of Melitopol is classified as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol, which prohibit the taking of civilian hostages during the war,” said Ukraine’s foreign ministry in a statement.
Russian forces are shelling the Ukrainian port of Mykolayiv, according to a regional governor, reports Reuters.
Dennis Kiyanchenko(@kiancenko)
#Миколаїв сильно, як ніколи, обстрілюють ракетами РСЗВ. Знову горять житлові будинки, є інформація про влучення в один із супермаркетів. Коротше, горить усе, що орки називають «військовою інфраструктурою НАТО».
Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that it has suspended business operations in Russia, two weeks after the studio paused theatrical releases in the country, reported Reuters.
In a message to staff, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Tony Vinciquerra wrote that the studio would halt planned home entertainment releases, including “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and any future television distribution deals. Crunchyroll also suspended its anime streaming service in Russia. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who have been impacted and it is our hope that a peaceful resolution can be found soon,” Vinciquerra wrote.
Sony Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp.
One of the unanswered questions in Russia’s war against Ukraine is the level of attrition being experienced by the Ukrainian military. Now it appears a US defence official may have given some idea.
According to the unnamed official, the Ukraine air force has around 56 fighters left after almost three weeks of combat.
While Ukraine started the war with just under 100 combat aircraft, a simple subtraction may not tell the whole story with some of those aircraft likely out of service for one reason or another, with maintenance issue being a historic problem for Kyiv.
Even so that would seem to suggest, at first glance, not insignificant loses even if the remaining numbers of aircraft indicate that Russia’s early claim to have “neutralised” Ukraine air force and air defences was wide of the mark.
It would also go some way to explaining the renewed effort to hit Ukraine’s airfields in recent days.
Russian airstrikes hit three cities in Ukraine on Friday – including two in the country’s west – as the scope of its military offensive widened.The raids hit airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, far from the main areas of conflict, and residential buildings in the strategically important city of Dnipro.
Russian armed forces have made no progress in Ukraine in the last 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also said Ukraine had reached a “strategic turning point” in its war with Russia in his latest address to the Ukrainian people.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped and under fire in Ukrainian cities, but the situation in Mariupol is especially dire. Ten days into Russia’s siege, its population has no access to electricity or mobile phone networks, and water and food are running out.
Ukraine fears Belarus might launch an invasion of Ukraine today after a meeting in Moscow between the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko. Ukraine’s deputy interior minister, Yevheniy Yenin, earlier said Russia was trying everything possible to drag Belarus into its war against Ukraine.
In related news, Ukraine accused Russia of firing at a Belarusian settlement near the border from Ukrainian air space in an attempt to drag Belarus into the war. The Ukrainian air force said it had received information that Russian aircraft had taken off from an airfield in Belarus, crossed into Ukrainian air space and then fired at Kopani, a village in Belarus.
A third Russian major general has been killed in the fighting in Ukraine, western officials confirmed. Western intelligence estimates that around 20 major generals would have been committed to the invasion of Ukraine, implying a relatively high casualty rate during the two-week long invasion.
Western governments announced plans to impose punitive tariffs on Russian trade to further isolate Moscow from the global economy. In a development aimed at ratcheting up the pressure on Vladimir Putin, the G7 group of wealthy nations said it would strip Russia of “most favoured nation” (MFN) status under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Joe Biden announced plans to ban the import of seafood, vodka and diamonds from Russia in retaliation for Putin’s war on Ukraine. Biden said the ban would be part of a move by the US to revoke normal trading relations with Russia.
Russia has moved to block Instagram after its parent company, Meta, said it would allow calls for violence against Putin and Russian soldiers involved in the invasion of Ukraine to appear on the social media platform. Russian prosecutors demanded that access to Instagram be blocked as authorities moved to recognise Meta as an “extremist organisation.
One of the pregnant women pictured escaping the ruins of the Mariupol maternity ward bombed by Russia has given birth to a daughter. Mariana Vishegirskaya was photographed on Friday by the Associated Press lying in a hospital bed holding her newborn daughter, Veronika.
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, for today as I hand over the blog to my colleague Gloria Oladipo. Goodbye for now.
presidential office reports that the Russian occupiers have kidnapped Ivan Fedoro, the major of Melitopol in southern #Ukraine. Security camera of the city hall seem to show the abduction. pic.twitter.com/KfaXFQttn0
#Миколаїв сильно, як ніколи, обстрілюють ракетами РСЗВ. Знову горять житлові будинки, є інформація про влучення в один із супермаркетів. Коротше, горить усе, що орки називають «військовою інфраструктурою НАТО».
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