In Ukraine on Tuesday, April 12, efforts continue to learn more about the situation in Mariupol, where the defenders of the besieged city have reported of a chemical attack. Kyiv has stated it could retake Mariupol if the necessary military equipment would be delivered by the international community. In the humanitarian front, the UNICEF has said that more than a million children in Ukraine face the risk of not having enough food.
According to the Azov Regiment, which defends Mariupol, the attack took place on Monday, April 11. Andriy Biletsky, the founder of the Azov Regiment, announced on Telegram social network that Russian troops had used chemical weapons in Mariupol, namely within the Azovstal plant.
«Talking of the practical side of the strike, it was small. Three persons are showing the clear signs of poisoning with warfare chemicals, but no catastrophic effects. These idiots cannot even use the weapons of mass destruction properly. Talking of the moral side, this indicates the cowardice of Russians only,» Biletsky told.
In his assessment, Russia’s use of such weapons shows they are unable to capture Mariupol, as well as defeat the Ukrainian military. Representatives of the Azov Regiment stated that Russian troops have recently dropped an unknown poisonous substance in Mariupol, using an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Ukrinform reported that earlier, Eduard Basurin, a Russian militant from the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk, announced it was necessary to block Mariupol defenders within the Azovstal plant and use chemical weapons against them.
Adequate weapons would make a difference
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that when it comes to the necessary weapons, Ukraine depends on the supply from partners and, unfortunately, is not getting as much as it needs to end this war sooner. He repeated a call for the supply of heavy artillery and war planes to Ukraine.
Zelensky has said that Russia is concentrating tens of thousands of soldiers for its next offensive in eastern Ukraine. However, in the areas, where Russians have retreated from in order to focus on conquering the east have left behind tens of thousands of explosive mines.
Watch his latest address in Ukrainian with English subtitles.
More than a million children at risk of hunger
UNICEF Emergency Programs Director Manuel Fontaine said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York that since the Russian invasion began, nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes and half of children who remain in the country are at risk for not having enough food. Fontaine voiced an estimated that half of the 3.2 million children, who remain in Ukraine are at risk for not having enough food.
«Attacks on water system infrastructure and power outages have left an estimated 1.4 million people without access to water in Ukraine. Another 4.6 million people have only limited access,» the official stated.
He underlined that the situation in Mariupol and Kherson is even worse, children and families in these cities have been living for weeks without access to running water, sanitation, regular food and medical supplies. «They are hiding in homes and basements, waiting for an end to violence and bombing,» Fontaine said.
UNICEF’s official noted that the U.N. had confirmed that at least 142 children have been killed and 229 injured in the fighting. «We know these numbers are likely much higher — and many of them were caused by crossfire or the use of explosive weapons in populated areas,» said UNICEF Emergency Programs Director Manuel Fontaine as quoted by Ukrinform.