International press review
Headline: Humanitarian disaster in Ukrainian towns besieged by Russians
Audio 04:51
The Mariupol children's hospital after its bombardment by the Russian army, March 9, 2022. © AP
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
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Among the Ukrainian cities besieged and pounded relentlessly, the "
Calvary of Mariupol
", in the south-east of the country, is once again making the front page of all the international press.
In the aftermath of the deadly attack on its children's hospital, the port city and its some 300,000 trapped residents face "
an increasingly dire and desperate humanitarian situation
", headlines the
New York Times
, which says it fears "
a true carnage
”.
“
A catastrophic situation
”, also denounces the
Financial Times
, reporting “
dozens of deaths, and mass graves that keep filling up
” in the devastated city.
Living conditions in Mariupol are now "
medieval
", underlines the
Guardian
, which describes a weakened population "
under incessant bombardment, in freezing cold, without electricity or drinking water, and unable to pick up the dead in the streets.
".
“
The trapped civilians are attacking each other for food
,” reports the
Daily Telegraph
.
Their desperation is complete.
"
There's not even fear now
,” said a resident of Mariupol, “
we're just tired
”.
According to the mayor of the city, the British daily stresses again, the Russian offensive has already claimed more than "
1,200
civilian victims
" in Mariupol.
Will Russia use chemical weapons?
It is the very great concern of Westerners, “
that Russia may use chemical weapons in the current escalation of its military campaign against Ukraine
”, headlines the
Times
.
Moscow has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council “
on the manufacture of biological weapons in Ukraine by the United States
”.
“
Unfounded accusations
”, refuted by Washington, where it is now feared that “
these allegations serve as a pretext for Russia to use chemical or biological weapons itself
”, underlines the
Wall Street Journal
.
“
Is Russia thus preparing the ground for a chemical attack
?
“, also wonders the
Times
, which recalls that Moscow has already been accused of “
such atrocities
”, of attacks “
with chlorine
”, in particular in Syria.
“
As it struggles to make progress in its assault on Ukraine, the use of chemical weapons is a possibility
,” worries a NATO official.
All the more worrying since the Russian press is reporting on its side "
a new large-scale offensive (by the Russian army) in the coming days
", with, says a military expert in the daily
Kommersant
,
“
new human resources, but also technical ones
”.
China's support for Russia appears to be waning
The remark by the Chinese Foreign Minister, who yesterday described the Russian offensive in Ukraine as a "
war
" for the first time, did not go unnoticed, reports the
Times
, which sees in it "
a sign of a possible change in Beijing's policy
", which would thus seek "
to distance itself, to distance itself from the ferocious Russian military campaign
".
The British daily notes other signs of this decline.
China thus refused to “
supply spare parts to Russian airlines
”, and Beijing also “
relaxed its exchange rate to allow the Russian ruble to devalue faster against the Chinese yuan, in order to protect China from economic sanctions imposed on Moscow
.
Beijing continues to support Russia, argues the
Financial Times
, but the Chinese are measuring the possible "
diplomatic backlash from the West
", which could "
threaten the Chinese economy
", while "
many in Europe consider the China as an accomplice of the Russian invasion
”, comments the British daily.
London sanctions oligarch Roman Abramovich
Accused of being a "
very close to Putin
", Roman Abramovich saw "
all his assets frozen
", in particular his "
Chelsea football club and his property portfolio of several million euros
", reports all of the press which echoes the words of Liz Truss, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who accused Abramovich "
of having blood on his hands
".
"
He took advantage of his proximity to the Kremlin for decades
", accuses the
Daily Mirror
, and contributed "
to destabilize Ukraine by selling steel to the Russian army, to manufacture tanks that kill today Ukrainian children
", denounces the British daily.
The Russian billionaire who is now trying to "
save what he can
", tells us the
Guardian
, in particular one of his super yacht
The Solaris
moored in Barcelona, and which as soon as the sanctions were announced set sail for is to avoid seizure.
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