Ukraine alleges Russian ‘war crime’ through phosphorus bomb attack

Ukraine’s human rights monitor says Russia used phosphorous bombs in an attack on the town of Popasna in the eastern Luhansk region, calling it a “war crime”.

Liudmila Denisova shared a photograph purporting to show the alleged attack that occurred overnight Saturday, local time, but did not say if Ukraine had concrete evidence.

“The bombing of a civilian city by the Russian attackers with these weapons is a war crime and a crime against humanity, according to the Rome convention,” she said in an online statement.

Reuters could not immediately verify any of the reports.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Russia would pay a “severe price” if it is confirmed to have used chemical weapons in the conflict with Ukraine.

Mr Sullivan told CBS that Russian President Vladimir Putin had resorted to using these weapons because his forces were not advancing as fast as he had predicted.

American journalist killed

In the town of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv, Russian forces shot and killed American journalist Brent Renaud and wounded another journalist, the regional police chief said.

The wounded journalist, Juan Arredondo, said the two of them were filming refugees fleeing the area when they were shot at while in a car approaching a checkpoint.

He said the driver turned around but the firing at them continued.

Hours after the shooting of Mr Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

“In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders,” he said.

Asked about the reports, Mr Sullivan told CBS News that the US government would be consulting with Ukraine to determine how this happened and would then “execute appropriate consequences”.

“This is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians, where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship, and they have targeted journalists.”

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War escalates on western side of Ukraine

Russian missiles have hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland, in an escalation of the war in the west of the country.

The attack killed 35 people and wounding 134, according to regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy.

Russia’s defense ministry said Sunday’s air strike had destroyed a large amount of weapons supplied by foreign nations that were being stored at the sprawling training facility, and that it had killed “up to 180 foreign mercenaries”.

Reuters could not independently verify the casualties reported by either side.

The attack on the Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security — a training base just 25 kilometers from the Polish border that has previously hosted NATO military instructors — brought the conflict to the doorstep of the Western defense alliance.

On Saturday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister had warned that convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine could be considered legitimate targets.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS that any attack on the NATO territory would trigger a full response by the alliance.

Kyiv stockpiling food as strikes continue

Air raid sirens wailed once again across the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and authorities said they were stockpiling two weeks worth of essential food items for the two million people who have not yet fled from Russian forces that have been attempting to encircle the city.

Russia’s invasion has sent more than 2.5 million people fleeing across Ukraine’s borders and trapped hundreds of thousands in besieged cities.

“It is terrifying how violent and inhuman it is,” Olga, a refugee from Kyiv, said after crossing into Romania.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops were trying to surround Ukrainian forces as they advanced from the port of Mariupol in the south and the second city of Kharkiv in the north, the British Defense Ministry said.