Ukraine has recorded over 4,000 cases of Russian chemical agents being used on its frontline since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
The Kyiv Independent reports that there have been over 3,100 reported cases since December 2023 alone. May this year saw a record number of 715 cases reported, with this number declining to 560 and 358 respectively during the following two months.
Earlier this year the US Department of State confirmed Russian forces have used the chemical agent chloropicrin, often used as an herbicide, in Ukraine.
Moreover, Russian naval infantry units have previously confirmed the illegal use of K-51 aerosol grenades filled with the Riot Control Agent gas CS, a tear gas used for crowd control.
Such agents are prohibited from being used in modern warfare under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Good morning and welcome to the live blog covering the Russia-Ukraine war with both sides experiencing deadly attacks on civilians in the last 24 hours.
Five people were killed and 46 injured in a Ukrainian attack on the south-western Russian city of Belgorod late on Friday, the local governor said. Vyacheslav Gladkov also said 37 people, including seven children, were taken to hospital, Reuters reports.
Video from a car dashboard, posted on social media and purporting to demonstrate the attack, showed another car being blown up while moving on the road. Seconds later an explosion is seen on the other side of the road.
Ukraine has staged frequent attacks on Belgorod and other Russian border regions in recent months.
Earlier on Friday, seven people died after a Russian bomb attack on Ukraine’s north-eastern city of Kharkiv hit a residential building and a playground, with nearly 80 injured. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a 14-year-old girl was among the dead. There are fears the toll could rise further as about 20 of the injured are in severe condition.
In other news:
Zelenskiy has fired the head of Ukraine’s air force a day after it emerged that a recently delivered F-16 jet crashed during the week, killing the pilot. “I have decided to replace the commander of the air forces … I am eternally grateful to all our military pilots,” Zelenskiy said in an evening video address, without giving a reason for the dismissal of Mykola Oleshchuk.
Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Vladimir Putin when he visits on Tuesday. The Russian president is due to travel to Mongolia, a member of the international criminal court (ICC). The ICC has a warrant out for Putin’s arrest over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
Ukraine’s top commander said Kyiv’s forces had advanced about a mile in Russia’s western Kursk region in the previous 24 hours. Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces took control of two square miles more of Russian territory.
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