3 minutes ago 06:58
The Chemical Weapons Authority is “concerned” about Mariupol
The World Chemical Weapons Observatory has said it is “concerned” about reports of the use of chemical weapons in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol.
On Monday, for the first time, reports emerged from the Ukrainian Azov Battalion that a Russian drone had dropped a “poisonous substance” on soldiers and civilians in Mariupol.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement:
The OPCW Technical Secretariat is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine. The Secretariat is concerned about the recent unconfirmed report on the use of chemical weapons in Mariupol, which has been circulating in the media for the past 24 hours.
This followed media reports in recent weeks of shelling of chemical plants located in Ukraine, along with accusations by both sides of possible misuse of toxic chemicals.
All 193 OPCW member states, including the Russian Federation and Ukraine, are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international major disarmament treaty in force since 1997.
In doing so, they solemnly and voluntarily committed themselves never to develop, manufacture, acquire, store, transfer or use chemical weapons.
The Secretariat received correspondence from both the Russian Federation and Ukraine on threats to the use of toxic chemicals as weapons and shared it with all 193 OPCW Member States, as requested.
– OPCW (@OPCW) April 12, 2022 7m ago06: 54
The Pentagon will host leaders of eight leading US arms manufacturers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s capacity to meet Ukraine’s arms needs if the war with Russia continues for years, two people familiar with the meeting said on Tuesday.
Demand for weapons has risen after Russia’s invasion stimulated the transfer of weapons from the United States and its allies to Ukraine. The meeting is expected to discuss supplies as well as planning a longer war, sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon’s Arms Acquisition and Maintenance Office, which buys weapons for the U.S. Department of Defense, will host the 90-minute meeting and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was expected to attend, one man said.
The Pentagon said the most useful weapons were smaller systems such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which Washington and its allies deliver to Ukraine almost daily.
Intensive use, as well as the effectiveness of the battlefield demonstrated by Ukrainian forces, has sparked interest in replenishing these weapons.
Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin Corp co-produce Javelins, while Raytheon produces Stingers. Other leading weapons manufacturers include Boeing Co Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and L3Harris Technologies.
10 minutes ago 06:51
More than 6,000 alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine are under investigation, Ukrainian prosecutors said.
A total of 6,261 cases have been reported and it has been confirmed that 191 children have been killed, the service added.
14 minutes ago 06:47
The United States will send another $ 750 million in arms to Ukraine, he said
The administration of US President Joe Biden is expected to announce another $ 750 million in military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, two US officials familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The equipment will be funded by the Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, in which the president can authorize the transfer of items and services from U.S. stocks without congressional approval in response to an emergency.
One official said final decisions were still being made on the equipment combination.
US President Joe Biden told the media after saying that the Russian war in Ukraine was tantamount to “genocide” and accused President Vladimir Putin of trying to “erase the idea of even being Ukrainian”. Photo: Carolyn Castor / AP
A senior congressman said the equipment to be announced is likely to include heavy ground artillery systems for Ukraine, including howitzers.
The White House said last week that it had provided more than $ 1.7 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
The congressional aide said some lawmakers had been informed in the last 24 hours of the upcoming announcement, which is expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Weapons shipments include Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as ammunition and bulletproof vests.
15 minutes ago 06:46
Here is a selection of some of the latest images that will come out of Ukraine today.
Volunteers loaded the bodies of civilians killed in Bucha into a truck to be taken to the morgue for investigation on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday.
A woman shows a hole in a house after a shooting in the village of Zalisia, northeast of Kyiv.
Firefighters are working to put out the blaze after a Russian attack destroyed a school building in Kharkov.
Nadia, a 65-year-old local woman, shows a hole in a house after a shooting in the village of Zalisia, northeast of Kyiv. Photo: Genya Savilov / AFP / Getty Images The tail of a rocket sticks out in a residential area of Yahidne, near the Dnieper, Ukraine. Photo: Evgeny Maloletka / AP Volunteers load the bodies of civilians killed in Bucha in a truck to be taken to the morgue for investigation, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP. Photo: AFP / Getty Images A woman wears a portrait of Dmitry Stefienko, 32, a civilian killed in Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP 19 m ago 06:42 h
Polish President Andrzej Duda and the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are on their way to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, an adviser to the Polish leader said on Wednesday.
“Our countries show support for Ukraine and President Zelensky in this way,” adviser Jakub Kumoch wrote on Twitter.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also posted an image showing him and his team getting off a Ukrainian train.
“I am leaving for Kyiv with a strong message of political support and military assistance,” Nauseda wrote on Twitter this morning. “Lithuania will continue to support Ukraine’s struggle for its sovereignty and freedom.”
We are heading to Kyiv with a strong message of political support and military assistance.
Lithuania will continue to support Ukraine’s struggle for its sovereignty and freedom.
Together to victory! pic.twitter.com/WLb5yR5W69
– Gitanas Nausea (@GitanasNauseda) April 13, 2022
Updated at 06.45 BST
23 minutes ago 06:38
Russia’s appointment of a new army general reflects “ineffective pre-war planning”, says the UK Ministry of Defense
Russia’s appointment of a new army general as commander of the war in Ukraine is an attempt to “centralize command and control” and reflects its “ineffective pre-war planning”, forcing Russia to re-evaluate its operations, the UK Defense Ministry said.
The latest British intelligence report, released shortly after 6 a.m. GMT, reads:
Russia’s appointment of Army General Alexander Dvornikov as commander of the war in Ukraine is an attempt to centralize command and control. The inability to co-ordinate and coordinate military action has prevented Russia’s invasion so far.
Like many senior Russian generals, Dvornikov has previous command experience in Syria. In addition, since 2016, he has commanded the Southern Military District of Russia, bordering the Ukrainian region of Donbass.
Russian reports recently highlighted progressive offensives in Donbass as Russian forces shifted east. Dvornikov’s election further demonstrates how decisive Ukrainian resistance and ineffective pre-war planning have forced Russia to re-evaluate its operations.
Updated at 06.44 BST
29 minutes ago 06:32
Biden accuses Putin of committing genocide in Ukraine
Julian Borger
Joe Biden accused Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine, saying Vladimir Putin was “trying to erase the idea of even being Ukrainian.”
Biden first used the word in passing on Tuesday at an Iowa domestic policy event on the use of ethanol in gasoline.
“Your family budget, your ability to fill your tank, none of this should depend on a dictator declaring war and committing genocide in half the world,” he said.
Asked later if he intended to apply the term to Russian actions in Ukraine, Biden told reporters: “Yes, I called it genocide because it is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the idea of even being Ukrainian.
“And the evidence is growing,” he said. “There is more evidence of the terrible things the Russians have done in Ukraine. And we will only learn more and more about the devastation. We will leave the lawyers to decide internationally whether he meets the requirements or not, but I definitely think so. “
Joe Biden accused Vladimir Putin of committing genocide in Ukraine – video
A prosecutor at The International Criminal Court in The Hague opened a case in February, saying there was “a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in Ukraine”.
Proving a case under the 1948 Genocide Conventions requires “intent [by the accused] to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group ‘.
Biden has consistently been outspoken in exposing Russian mass killings of Ukrainian civilians, calling Putin a “war criminal” in mid-March. There have been numerous investigations into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, including the destruction of Mariupol and the execution of civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha.
True words of a true leader @POTUS. Calling things by their names is essential to opposing evil. We are grateful for …
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