Russian Army Offensive in Eastern Ukraine US “Chemical Weapons and Other Situations Watch”

The Russian army, which continues to invade Ukraine, is intensifying its offensive, including continuing air strikes mainly in the eastern part.

On the other hand, a senior U.S. Department of Defense official said he would keep an eye on the situation, saying that the information that the Russian army had launched an attack using toxic substances in Mariupol, a key point in the east, could not be confirmed.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 12th that artillery troops attacked Ukrainian troops in eastern Luhansk Oblast, destroying armored vehicles and vehicles, as well as attacking eastern Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts with missiles and destroying anti-aircraft missile systems. Did.

He also claimed that Mariupol, a key point in the east, "Ukrainian soldiers remaining in our besieged factory attempted to escape at night, but failed due to air strikes and artillery."

Regarding Mariupol, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, Kirby, said at a press conference on the 12th that Russian troops were continuing violent air strikes. Is fighting to protect the city from the Russian side. "

A local mayor interviewed NHK on the 11th about Mariupol's said that "more than 20,000 civilians have died," and there are concerns that the Russian military attack will further increase the casualties of civilians.

Under these circumstances, the Ukrainian Azov Battalion, which continues to fight in Mariupol, claimed to have been attacked by toxic substances, and in a video released on the 12th, "After seeing white smoke, tinnitus and pulse became faster, and the ground He gave the testimony of citizens and soldiers, such as "I fell down and couldn't move" or "I was suffocating."

Regarding concerns that chemical weapons might have been used, a spokesman for pro-Russian armed groups, Baslin, who continues to fight with the support of Russian troops, told Interfax on the 12th, "We are in Mariupol any chemicals. I don't use any weapons, "he said.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. Department of Defense official said on the 12th whether chemical weapons were used, saying, "We have not confirmed the use of chemicals at this time and are still evaluating them. We have not confirmed that we have brought it in, "he said, indicating that he will continue to pay close attention to the situation.