5 posts
9 mins ago
"All options are on the table" for the West's response if Russia uses chemical weapons
By Amy Cassidy
In this file photo, James Heappey, Under Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, leaves the Cabinet Office in Whitehall on February 17.
(Photo: James Manning/PA Images/Getty Images)
"All options are on the table" for how the West will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, Britain's Armed Forces Minister said on Tuesday.
The British Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, told Sky News television that unconfirmed information emerged on Monday about a possible chemical attack in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which the United Kingdom has not been able to verify.
"I think it's useful to maintain some ambiguity [...] about what exactly the answer would be, but let's be clear, if they are used, then the President of Russia [Vladimir] Putin needs to know that all possible options are on the table in terms of how the West might respond," Heappey said.
It would be an "effective" and "well-considered" response, he added.
CNN cannot independently verify that any kind of chemical attack has taken place in Mariupol.
CNN teams on the ground have so far seen no evidence of such an attack, nor images from sources in Mariupol verifying it.
"These are horrible weapons to even think about using," Heappey said.
"The fact that they are part of the debate is sobering. There are things that are beyond limits, and the use of chemical weapons will have an answer, and all options are on the table for what that answer could be."
He warned: "But it's important to recognize that there are all sorts of ways these things can be used, from the use of tear gas, which is effectively a riot control measure, to totally devastating lethal chemical weapons systems.
"So I don't think it's helpful to be too binary about the situation, because it's very nuanced."
Heappey said some Ukrainian troops will arrive in the UK in the coming days to learn how to operate 120 British armored vehicles that will be sent to Ukraine, along with defense and anti-tank missiles as part of a new package of high-end military equipment.
"We are getting everything we can to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry," he said in a separate interview with London's LBC radio.
13 mins ago
Ukraine's prosecutor general says they are investigating 5,800 cases of Russian war crimes
By Paul LeBlanc
Burnt trucks and Russian military equipment are seen on the streets of Bucha on April 3 after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the city.
(Photo: Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ukraine's prosecutor general said Monday that her office is investigating 5,800 Russian war crimes cases, with "more and more" proceedings every day.
Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead," Iryna Venediktova said that Ukraine has identified more than 500 suspects in the extensive investigation, including Russian politicians, military personnel and propaganda operatives "who wanted this war, who started this war and who continued this war.
"We want to prosecute these war criminals in our Ukrainian courts, appointed by Ukraine," Venediktova said, while acknowledging the role of the International Criminal Court.
Drone footage confirms Russian tank killed Ukrainian civilian in Bucha
His comments come at a time when grisly atrocities in Ukraine, allegedly at the hands of Russian forces, have amplified calls for war crimes charges to be brought against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After images of at least 20 bodies strewn across the street in Bucha, Ukraine, emerged earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an end to Russian "war crimes." .
Russia has denied any involvement in the incident, claiming - without evidence - that Bucha's atrocities were staged and part of a "planned media campaign".
However, witnesses who have spoken to CNN have claimed that the carnage in the city began weeks ago, when it was occupied by Russian forces, and one video shows Russian forces shooting indiscriminately at a civilian.
14 mins ago
Zelensky: Withdrawal Of Russian Forces Left Mines Scattered 'Everywhere'
By Mariya Knight, Jen Deaton
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
(Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine/YouTube)
In a late-night address to the nation on Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian military retreating from parts of northern Ukraine had deliberately left thousands of mines in their wake, in what he called a "crime of war".
In those areas, "tens, if not hundreds of thousands" of unexploded ordnance had been left behind, he said, adding that crews are working to clean up these "hazardous items."
The "invaders left mines everywhere", including in houses, streets and fields, he added.
“They deliberately went to great lengths to ensure that the return to these areas after vacating was as dangerous as possible.
Due to the actions of the Russian army, our territory today is one of the most contaminated by mines in the world,” Zelensky said.
He called these actions "war crimes" aimed at "killing or maiming as many of our people as possible", adding that the troops would not have done so without explicit orders from Russia's leaders.
17 mins ago
Japan imposes more sanctions on Russia, including the families of Putin and Lavrov
By Junko Ogura, Akanksha Sharma
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (left), in a 2016 image. (Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Japan imposed additional sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, freezing the assets of 398 Russian citizens, including President Vladimir Putin's two adult daughters, Katerina Tikhonova and Mariya Vorontsova, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry press release.
The new measures also target Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's family members: his wife Mariya Lavrova and daughter Yekaterina Vinokurova, according to the statement.
Who are the daughters of Vladimir Putin that the US has sanctioned
A bit of context
: Japan has steadily expanded its sanctions against Russia since the Ukraine invasion began, including banning Russian imports like coal and vodka, curtailing new investment in Russia, and freezing assets held by Russia. of the major banks.
Other nations, such as the US and the UK, have also introduced sanctions against the families of Putin and Lavrov.
19 mins ago
A Russian military column heads towards the Donbas region
By Maria Kostenko, Yulia Kesaieva
A large column of Russian military vehicles is seen near Matveev Kurgan, a settlement in Russia's Rostov region.
(Photo: Telegram)
CNN geolocated a video shared on social media Monday showing a large column of Russian military vehicles near Matveev Kurgan, a settlement in Russia's Rostov region.
The vehicles are seen facing northwest, in the direction of the Donbas region.
A senior Ukrainian official also said Monday that a Russian offensive in Ukraine's Donbas region "has already started," warning that Russia continues to build up forces in the region.
"From my point of view, this big offensive [in the east] has already started. We have to understand that it will not be a repeat of February 24, when the first shelling and explosions started and we said: 'The war has started.' de facto offensive has already started," Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the interior minister, told national television.
Does a bloodier offensive begin?
Long column of Russian military vehicles heads to Donbas
Ukrainian and Western officials have said in recent days that they have seen a redeployment of Russian troops to Donbas after major setbacks for Moscow in a bid to take Kyiv.
"Yes, there are still no major battles that are being fought that much in the last few days. But in general we could say that the offensive has already started," Denysenko said.
war in ukraine
