The United Kingdom is trying to check whether Russian forces used chemical weapons in Mariupol, a port city in southeastern Ukraine that has been under siege for more than a month, and its government warned on Tuesday that there will be “an answer” if so.
“If they have been used, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin should know that all possible options will be on the table in terms of how the West might respond,” Secretary of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey told private channel Sky News.
“There are things that exceed all limits and the use of chemical weapons will have an answer,” he added.
British Foreign Minister Liz Truss had reported hours before that her country was working with others to check reports that Russian forces used this weapon in Mariupol.
“Any use of these weapons is a cruel escalation in this conflict and we will hold Putin and his regime to account,” he said on Twitter.
Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush reported that Russia has used an “unknown substance” in Mariupol and that the population was suffering from respiratory failure. “Most likely, chemical weapons,” he tweeted.
In a message on the Telegram application, an assistant to the mayor of Mariupol clarified that the chemical attack “is not currently confirmed”.
“We are waiting for official information from the army,” Petro Andryushchenko wrote.
Previously, the Azov Battalion, a Ukrainian commando, had indicated on Telegram that a Russian drone had poured a “toxic substance” on Ukrainian troops and civilians in Mariupol.
This group stated that people suffered from respiratory and neurological problems.
AFP was unable to verify these allegations with independent sources.
“I don't think we should be too binary because the situation is extremely nuanced” between what could be the use of “tear gas” or “devastating lethal chemical weapons,” Heappey said on Tuesday.
The US Pentagon spokesman had said the day before that he was aware of these reports, but he could not confirm this type of attack on the besieged city on the shores of the Azov Sea.
A senior leader of the pro-Russian separatists from the Donetsk region (east), Eduard Basurin, spoke of the possibility of using chemical weapons against this port city that has withstood bombardments for weeks.
Russia has denied the commission of any war crimes during its offensive in Ukraine, launched on February 24.
(With information from AFP)
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