President Zelensky accuses Russia of WAR CRIMES over brutal shelling of Kharkiv which saw civilians killed and schools destroyed as Ukraine's ambassador to the US claims Putin dropped deadly VACCUM BOMB during invasion
- Video showed moment that explosion rocked a suburb of the Ukrainian capital after night had fallen today
- The new explosion took place hours after the Kremlin warned civilians to leave the city via a 'safe route'
- Russians are now using banned cluster munitions against civilian areas, experts and activists have warned
- Attack with Grad rockets on shopping centre in Kharkiv today killed dozens and wounded hundreds, Kyiv said
- Campaign group Amnesty said similar bombs were used to destroy a school in Okhtyrka, leaving three dead
- If Russia is confirmed to have used the weapons it could constitute a war crime, amid warnings that Putin is likely to start resorting to using heavier weapons to turn the tide of war
By HARRY HOWARD and MARK NICOL, DEFENCE EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL and CHRIS PLEASANCE and NICK CRAVEN IN LVIV, UKRAINE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 04:55 AEDT, 1 March 2022 | UPDATED: 10:24 AEDT, 1 March 2022
Ukraine war: The latest
- Ukraine's MoD says Russia has lost 5,300 soldiers, 29 planes, 29 helicopters and 151 tanks
- Russia's MoD has for the first time acknowledged suffering losses, but refused to say how many
- Russian economy entered freefall as Western sanctions put in place over the weekend took effect, with ruble sliding to its lowest level ever
- Moscow's central bank has more-than doubled the interest rate to 20 per cent
- Russia orders people and companies to sell 80 per cent of their revenue in foreign currencies, forcing them to buy the ruble to help prop it up
- Moscow stock exchange won't open until at least 3pm in an attempt to head off all-out crash
- Zelensky has allowed Ukrainian prisoners to be freed if they join defence forces to 'repay their debt'
- Ukraine president also announced creation of 'international brigade' for foreign volunteers wishing to join military, after 'thousands' applied
- Spain's foreign minister called Putin's order to put nuclear forces on high alert 'one more sign of [his] absolute irrationality'
- Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his country should be open to hosting nuclear weapons
- Germany announced a $112million fund to rebuild the country's armed forces, more-than double its current self-defence budget
- EU announced, for the first time in its history, that it will send funds to Ukraine for weapons - including fighter jets
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes on Monday after Vladimir Putin's forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of their invasion.
In a late night address directed at Russia, Zelensky said there would 'definitely be an international tribunal' for what he said was a 'violation of all conventions' and added that 'no one in the world will forgive you for killing peaceful Ukrainian people.'
In a panicked bid to reignite his stalled military onslaught, Putin had launched an indiscriminate bombing campaign on the eastern city of Kharkiv just 24 hours after local resistance had sent his troops packing from its streets.
Weapons rained down on the most Russia-friendly city in Ukraine – which sits 25 miles from the border and is home to 1.5million people – in a bid to break its will to resist.
The hail of bombs, shells and rockets which began falling at lunchtime left at least nine dead, including three children according to local officials, with homes and even a school reduced to rubble.
A military source told MailOnline that videos of the onslaught showed 'cluster' munitions had been used.
'The BM-21 Grad is a multiple launch rocket system used for 'area denial', dropping cluster bombs on a concentrated area,' the expert said. 'It's mainly used on enemy troops before an offensive. Used against civilians, it's not only a war crime, but has only one purpose – to spread terror and alarm among the civilian population.'
Later on Monday, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. claimed that Russia used a devastating vacuum bomb on Ukraine.
Oksana Markarova, speaking after briefing members of the U.S. congress, said: 'They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention. The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.'
The vacuum bombs, which are also known as thermobaric weapons, can vaporise bodies and crush internal organs. They use the atmosphere itself as part of any explosion and are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed.
Ms Markarova's comments came after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he plans to open an investigation 'as rapidly as possible' into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
As Russia's attempt to overwhelm Ukrainian forces continued, security sources said that, 96 hours in to the invasion, Putin had 'stirred up a hornets' nest' by 'underestimating the strength of the resistance' and the 'will of the people to fight'.
As the conflict continued, it was announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will fly to Poland to visit British troops manning Nato's eastern border with Russia.
It comes after huge explosions rocked a suburb of Kyiv on Monday evening, just hours after the attack in Kharkiv.
Dramatic video showed the moment that the night sky lit up with an enormous fire ball that reportedly stemmed from a military radar communication center in the Brovary suburb of the capital.
The new explosion took place hours after the Kremlin warned civilians to leave the city via a 'safe route' to the south-west, amid fears that the city was about to come under further heavy attack.
Russia used similar tactics in Syrian cities while fighting alongside Basahar al-Assad before its forces heavily bombed them.
Russian armour was working to surround Kyiv with tanks manoeuvering to cut it off from the west, after attacks by advanced forces failed to penetrate the outskirts.
New satellite images also showed how a military convoy that stretched more than 17 miles (27km) was moving closer to the capital, a private U.S. company said.
U.S. company Maxar Technologies Inc said the convoy on the eastern edge of Antonov airport contained hundreds of armoured vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and logistics support vehicles and continued to move south towards Kyiv. Other images showed also Russian ground forces close in Zdvyzhivka, northeast of Kyiv.
Colonel General Alexander Syrsky said early Monday that Kyiv had survived another night while inflicting 'heavy losses' on Russian attackers.
In the attack in Kharkiv, 44 people are believed to have been injured.
Graphic images and video revealed streets littered with the bodies of dead and badly wounded civilians, with other images showing showing spent BM-21 Grad rocket cartridges laying in the streets and having fallen through apartment roofs.
Cluster munitions were also to destroy a school in Okhtyrka, activist group Amnesty said, in which three people including a child were killed. The attack 'appears to have been carried out by Russian forces, which were operating nearby, and which have a record of using cluster munitions in populated areas,' Amnesty said.
'There is no possible justification for dropping cluster munitions in populated areas, let alone near a school,' secretary Agnes Callamard added.
The blasts mark some of the most serious attacks on civilians since the war began five days ago, and came after the first round of Ukraine-Russian peace talks - held in Belarus - ended without resolutions.
A a second round of negotiations is set to be held in the coming days.
Ukraine said ahead of the negotiations that it was seeking a ceasefire and total withdrawal of all Russian forces from its country, with President Zelensky saying he was not hopeful of results but had to try. Moscow would not be drawn on what its ambitions are.
Observers warned that the talks could pre-sage an increase in violence, as Putin increasingly deploys heavy weaponry that was absent from early fighting in an attempt to force a victory that he has been unable to achieve by subtler means.
Putin himself dashed many hopes for the talks today when, in a call with Emmanuel Macron, he said that he is willing to negotiate with Ukraine - but on the basis that it is disarmed, 'de-Nazified', recognises Crimea as Russian soil and declares neutrality. Kyiv is highly unlikely to accept those terms.
US intelligence believes around 75 per cent of Russian forces positioned on the borders with Ukraine are now inside the country.
Though Russian advanced forces have been fighting in Kyiv's outskirts for several days, the bulk of Putin's assault force is still located around 20 miles away having been slowed up by determined resistance fighters - with satellite images revealing a huge column of vehicles headed for the city.
The cities of Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv were also bombed overnight, with air raid sirens sounding in other areas.
In the south, Russians reported capturing the port city of Berdiansk with troops and armoured vehicles shown rolling through the centre, and were closing in on the city of Mariupol which was in danger of becoming surrounded - though remained under Ukrainian control as of the early hours.
Speaking on Monday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Ukraine to be 'immediately' admitted to the EU - after the alliance stepped up to supply hundreds of million of dollars of military aid to Ukraine, a first in the bloc's history - saying his country had 'earned' the right. He also said Russia's attack had so-far killed 15 children, and wounded dozens more.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet says her office has confirmed that 102 civilians, including 7 children, have been killed, and 304 others injured in violence in Ukraine since Thursday, as she cautioned that the tally was likely a vast undercount.
It came amid reports that Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko is poised to throw his own troops into the fighting, which US intelligence said could come as soon as Monday. The move follows on from Chechen forces being thrown into battle, which led to the almost-immediate destruction of a column of armoured vehicles and the death of one of their top generals.
Belarus on Sunday also voted to amend the country's constitution allowing them to host Russian nuclear weapons, which came after Vladimir Putin's chilling order to his defence chiefs to put the country's nuclear weapons on 'alert' in response to 'threats' from the West.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that Russia's decision to raise the nuclear alert was 'a reckless, dangerous decision'. He added: 'There's no reason for that. NATO is no threat to Russia. We don't seek confrontation with Russia.'
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes on Monday after Vladimir Putin's forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of their invasion. Above: Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, coming under heavy attack on Monday
In a late night address directed at Russia, Zelensky said there would 'definitely be an international tribunal' for what he said was a 'violation of all conventions' and added that 'no one in the world will forgive you for killing peaceful Ukrainian people'
The hail of bombs, shells and rockets which began falling at lunchtime left at least nine dead, including three children according to local officials, with homes and even a school reduced to rubble. Above: A woman sheltering in Kharkiv holds her newborn baby
Body of a Russian soldier lays outside a school destroyed as a result of fighting not far from the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
Dramatic video filmed in the Ukrainian capital showed the moment that the night sky lit up with an enormous fire ball that reportedly stemmed from a military radar communication center
New satellite images also showed how a military convoy that stretched more than 17 miles (27km) was moving closer to the capital, a private U.S. company said
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, came under heavy bombardment from indiscriminate Russian artillery and may have been hit by so-called 'cluster' munitions, causing 'dozens' of casualties
A spent Russian rocket is seen embedded in the floor of an apartment building in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, after Putin's forces unleashed a bombardment against civilian areas
Part of a Russian rocket is seen in the street outside a shop in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, after bombardment by Russian forces
A destroyed Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle is seen next to a spent missile casing in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, which came under attack from 'cluster' munitions today
Huge explosions tonight rocked Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv after dozens were killed in Russian cluster bomb attacks in the eastern city of Kharkiv
Ukraine war, day 5: Russian forces are now attempting to skirt around Kyiv and encircle it from the west. Troops fighting out of Crimea continue to make gains and are likely to surround Mariupol soon, while also reaching the outskirts of a key Ukrainian nuclear plant. Fighting in the east continues to be heavy with no breakthrough for Putin
Kyiv has been holding out for days against Russian attempts to breach the outskirts of the city, with tanks now trying to encircle it and a large column of armour approaching amid fears the fighting could get much worse
A destroyed school is seen not far from the city of Kharkiv, which Amnesty said had been hit by cluster munitions
This photograph shows a view of a school destroyed as a result of fight not far from the center of Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
The burned-out remains of a school are seen in the Kharkiv region, eastern Ukraine, after it was hit by Russian rockets
A Russian tank is pictured driving through Borodyanka, to the north-west of Kyiv, as Russian forces attempt to encircle the Ukrainian capital from the west
An armed Ukrainian guard is seen on the streets of Kyiv on Monday morning as security is stepped up amid fears of more-frequent and bloodier Russian attacks
Security guards in Kyiv search a car amid fears that Russian undercover units will increasingly try to stage sabotage attacks in order to pave the way for a ground offensive
Smoke rises over the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, where fierce fighting is going on as Russian troops try to take it
An apartment building is pictured on fire in Chernihiv, north of Kyiv, as Russian forces continue to try and reach the Ukrainian capital en masse so they can seize the city
Smoke rises over Kyiv on Monday morning as the city awoke from a night of heavy Russian bombardment to relative calm, though there are fears that Moscow's troops could quickly step up their attacks
A Ukrainian military vehicle is seen after the curfew was lifted, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov arrives to attend the talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Belarus's Gomel region on Monday morning
Share or comment on this article:
Huge explosions rock Kyiv hours after dozens were killed in Russian CLUSTER BOMBS attack
'The Citing Articles' 카테고리의 다른 글
| [데일리안] [D-8 여론조사] 윤석열 45.4% 이재명 42.3%… (0) | 2022.03.01 |
|---|---|
| Ukraine conflict: Your guide to understanding day five (0) | 2022.03.01 |
| Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska opposed Volodymyr Zelensky's political career at first (0) | 2022.03.01 |
| US expels 12 Russian diplomats for spying (0) | 2022.03.01 |
| “숨진 아이 눈, 푸틴에 보여줘라” “러, 유치원에 집속탄 포격도” (0) | 2022.03.01 |