War in Ukraine: fighting continues in Mariupol

Europe 1 with AFP 11:51 a.m., April 12, 2022

THE ESSENTIAL

In the besieged port of Mariupol, the fighting continues.

"The Russians have temporarily occupied part of the city. Ukrainian soldiers continue to defend the center and the south of the city, as well as the industrial areas," the city's deputy mayor Sergei Orlov told the BBC.

“Tens of thousands” of people died and “90% of the houses” were destroyed, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote on Twitter, adding that “Ukrainian soldiers are surrounded and blocked”.

The leader of the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk said on Monday that his forces had completely conquered the port area of ​​Mariupol.

“Regarding the port of Mariupol, it is already under our control,” Denis Pouchiline said, live on the Russian channel Pervy Kanal.

The main information:

• In besieged Azov Sea port Mariupol, 'tens of thousands' of people died

• The borders of the Donetsk region will very soon be the target of the Russian army

• President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded more arms from his allies

• UK investigates possible Russian use of chemical weapon

The Russian offensive in the east is imminent

In the East, which has become the Kremlin's priority target, the Ukrainian army says it expects a Russian offensive "very soon".

"It is likely that in the future the enemy will try to take control of Mariupol, seize Popasna, located between Donetsk and Lugansk, and launch an offensive in the direction of Kurakhove (west of Donetsk) in order to reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk region," the Ukrainian army general staff said on Facebook on Tuesday morning.

"According to our information, the enemy has almost completed its preparation for an assault on the east. The attack will take place very soon," Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandre Motouzianik earlier warned.

Zelensky calls for weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Monday evening in a video address for more weapons from his allies, in particular to strengthen the defense of the city of Mariupol.

"We are not receiving as much as we need to end this war more quickly. To completely destroy the enemy in our territory...in particular, to unblock" the siege of Mariupol, he said .

Chemical attack charges

The UK is trying to verify whether chemical weapons have been used by Russian forces in Mariupol, with the government warning on Tuesday that "all options" were on the table should their use be confirmed.

On Monday evening, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted that she was studying claims that "Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on the population of Mariupol. We are working urgently with our partners to verify information".

Previously, the Ukrainian Azov regiment, entrenched in Mariupol, had claimed that a Russian drone had dropped a "toxic substance" there on soldiers and civilians.

Violence against women

Several UN officials on Monday called for investigations into violence against women in Russia's war in Ukraine and the protection of children in the conflict, at a meeting of the Security Council initiated by the United States and Albania.

French gendarmes in Ukraine

French gendarmes have arrived in Lviv, in western Ukraine, to assist their Ukrainian counterparts "in the investigations of war crimes committed around kyiv", the French ambassador to Ukraine announced on Monday.

In France, moreover, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated on Monday evening that it had decided to expel six Russian spies who operated under cover of their embassy in Paris and "whose activities proved to be contrary to (its) national interests".

Earlier, Croatia announced the expulsion of 24 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, following in the footsteps of many countries that have taken similar measures.