- The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol estimates about 21,000 civilian residents of the city have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion.
- President Vladimir Putin says Russia will continue its offensive in Ukraine after holding talks in Russia’s far east with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
- The mayor of Bucha says authorities in the Ukrainian town have found 403 bodies of people they believe were killed by Russian forces.
- Ukraine says Russia is likely to try and capture the besieged port city of Mariupol as fears rise over an expected offensive on the eastern Donbas region.
- The United Nations demands an independent investigation into allegations that Russian forces have raped women and committed other forms of sexual violence.
Ukraine’s president publishes photo of pro-Russian politician in handcuffs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has published a photo of prominent pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk in handcuffs after what he says an operation by security forces.
In February, Kyiv said Medvedchuk, the leader of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, had escaped from house arrest.
Last year authorities opened a treason case against Medvedchuk, who says Russian President Vladimir Putin is godfather to his daughter, and who denies wrongdoing.
US has ‘credible’ info Russia may use ‘chemical agents’ in Ukraine
The US has “credible information” that Russia “may use … chemical agents” in its offensive to take the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The top US diplomat said he was “not in a position to confirm” recent allegations that Moscow used chemical weapons in Mariupol.
But he continued, “We had credible information that Russian forces may use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents that would cause stronger symptoms to weaken and incapacitate entrenched Ukrainian fighters and civilians, as part of the aggressive campaign to take Mariupol.”
