Russian strikes on Mariupol intensify
A Russian national flag flies by destroyed buildings in Mariupol on April 12, 2022, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, while Russia’s President makes a defiant case for the war on Russia’s neighbour. – *EDITOR’S NOTE: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.*
Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images
The coastal Ukrainian city of Mariupol is taking the brunt of Russia’s ongoing siege as Western security officials warn that the Kremlin will soon intensify its military campaign there.
“It’s obvious that the Russians want Mariupol because of its strategic location,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, noting that it’s a major port city that gives them “unfettered and unhindered land access between the Donbas and Crimea.” The two territories are held by Russia and Russian-back separatists.
Kirby said the Pentagon has observed Russian forces focus a lot of their strikes on Mariupol and on the Donbas area.
“I don’t have perfect knowledge of every missile or long-range fire that the Russians are firing into Mariupol. It continues to be under attack from airstrikes,” Kirby added. Earlier in the day, a senior U.S. Defense official told reporters on a call that since the Kremlin’s Feb. 24 invasion, Russian forces have launched more than 1,540 missiles into Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials claimed on Monday that Russian forces have used chemical weapons in Mariupol.
— Amanda Macias
UK prime minister tells Biden about surprise visit to Kyiv
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands before a meeting, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 9, 2022.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters
President Joe Biden held a secure 45-minute call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning, just days after Johnson returned from a surprise trip to Ukraine.
Johnson told Biden he was “humbled” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “strength and resolve” after meeting the unlikely war hero in Kyiv, according to a Downing Street spokesman.
Johnson also updated the president on Britain’s latest package of weapons for Ukraine, which includes the Harpoon anti-ship missile that experts say Ukraine could use to break Russia’s blockade of its Black Sea ports.
A White House statement on the call said Biden and Johnson, “welcomed ongoing cooperation with allies and partners to impose severe costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified war.”
— Christina Wilkie
Pentagon ‘actively looking’ at reports of Russian chemical weapons use, U.S. Defense official says
Residential buildings that were damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 3, 2022.
Pavel Klimov | Reuters
The Pentagon is not yet able to confirm reports of Russian forces using chemical weapons in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
“We are not on the ground. We don’t have perfect visibility. And so we’re doing the best we can to try to get get to some better conclusion. We are still actively looking at this,” a…
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