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The United States has accused Russia of violating the global ban on chemical weapons by deploying the asphyxiation agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian forces.
Chlorobicrin causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin and lungs, and was used in large quantities during World War I, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States.
“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and may have been driven by the desire of Russian forces to expel Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and make tactical gains on the battlefield,” the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
This comes as a Russian ballistic missile hit a postal warehouse in the Ukrainian port of Odessa late on Wednesday, injuring 14 people and sparking a major fire, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
This is the third missile attack on the city in as many days.
Pictures and video posted online showed flames and rising clouds of smoke engulfing buildings and firefighters directing water hoses to areas still burning. It appears that most of the loading space has been reduced to a shell.
Russian company Gazprom intends to send 42.4 million cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday
Russian energy producer Gazprom said it would send 42.4 million cubic meters of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday, in line with the amount it sent on Wednesday.
Maryam Zakir HusseinMay 2, 2024 at 08:46
Drone footage shows the devastation of a Ukrainian city after relentless Russian bombing
Months of continuous Russian artillery bombardment destroyed a strategic city in eastern Ukraine. New drone footage shows the remains of the Chasiv Yar community – set amid green fields and forests – left in ruins. The massive destruction brings to mind the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Ukraine surrendered after months of Russian bombing and heavy losses for both sides. The strategically important city has been under relentless attack by Vladimir Putin's forces for months. Capturing it would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it could attack other cities that form the backbone of Ukraine's eastern defences.
Maryam Zakir HusseinMay 2, 2024 at 08:26
Governor says Ukrainian drones target energy infrastructure in Russia's Smolensk region
Ukrainian drones attempted to attack energy infrastructure in Russia's Smolensk region, the governor of Russia's Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, said via the Telegram messaging app on Thursday.
He did not say which facilities were targeted, but said emergency workers had been deployed. Several drone attacks in recent months have targeted oil refineries and depots.
Maryam Zakir HusseinMay 2, 2024 08:08
The United States imposes strict sanctions on China because of its support for the Russian war in Ukraine
The United States has imposed sanctions on nearly 300 companies and individuals from China, Russia and several other countries for allegedly supporting the Russian defense industry and helping it evade US sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
The US Treasury said on Wednesday it had imposed sanctions on nearly 200 entities and the State Department on more than 80 “to reduce Russia’s ability to maintain its war machine” in Ukraine.
The sanctioned entities, located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Slovakia, allegedly enabled Russia to “obtain much-needed technology and equipment from abroad.”
Maryam Zakir HusseinMay 2, 2024 at 07:59
Russian ballistic missile bombardment on the city of Odessa
A Russian ballistic missile hit a postal warehouse in the Ukrainian port of Odessa late Wednesday evening, wounding 14 people and igniting a large fire, Oleh Kiper, governor of the Ukrainian Odessa region, said.
This is the third missile attack on the city in as many days.
Pictures and video posted online showed flames and rising clouds of smoke engulfing buildings and firefighters directing water hoses to areas still burning. It appears that most of the loading space has been reduced to a shell.
Maryam Zakir HusseinMay 2, 2024 at 07:57
The United States accuses Russia of using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces
The United States has accused Russia of violating the global ban on chemical weapons by deploying the asphyxiation agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian forces.
Chlorobicrin causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin and lungs, and was used in large quantities during World War I, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States.
“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and may have been driven by the desire of Russian forces to expel Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and make tactical gains on the battlefield,” the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
Maryam Zakir HusseinMay 2, 2024 at 07:56