NATO chief warns that Russia may use chemical weapons
An area outside the major western Ukrainian city of Lviv was reportedly targeted by a missile attack early Sunday.
Eight missiles are believed to have been fired at Ukraine’s Center for International Peacekeeping and Security, according to Lviv’s Regional Military Administration on Telegram. The center is located in Yavoriv, not far from the Polish border and some 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Lviv.
No information has been made available about causalties from the reported strike.
The strike on the center could possibly be a Russian message intended for NATO. The US and other NATO countries previously conducted training exercises with the Ukrainian military at the center called Rapid Trident 21, according to the US Army website.
A Ukrainian general cited by the US army website said the Rapid Trident 21 exercises held at the Yavoriv center were “not just another stage of military skills improvement, but also an important step towards Ukraine’s European integration.”
According to media reports, a new mayor has been installed in southeastern Ukraine’s Melitopol city after the previous mayor Ivan Fedorov was reportedly abducted by Russian troops.
Galina Danilchenko was introduced on local TV as the newly installed mayor, local media reported. CNN also cited a statement on the Zaporizhzhia regional administration website.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the abduction of the elected mayor was a gross violation of international law and a “war crime under the Geneva Conventions.”
“The perpetrators of this and other crimes will be brought to the strictest responsibility,” said the ministry in a Facebook post.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects a further intensification of the fighting and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, he told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
He said Ukrainians were resisting Russian forces with courage and determination, but the coming days could get worse.
Stoltenberg also dismissed recent “absurd claims” by Moscow that the US was secretly operating laboratories in Ukraine to make chemical and biological weapons.
“Now that these false allegations have been made, we must remain vigilant, because it is possible that Russia itself could be conducting missions with chemical weapons under this tissue of lie,” he said.
He also rejected calls for NATO to impose and enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “That could mean a direct confrontation and escalation. We need to end this war, not let it expand,” he added.
As a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: “End this war, withdraw all your forces back and commit to diplomacy.”
Source- DW News
