Vladimir Putin was warned on Friday of a “dramatic increased response” from the West should he begin using chemical weapons in Ukraine, after intelligence officials claimed the Russian president was preparing to create a “man-made disaster” at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The ministry of defence said that Russia would then try and shift the blame for the resulting catastrophe onto Ukraine.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US envoy to the United Nation, said during a UN Security Council meeting called by Russia on Friday, that Moscow’s claims of US “biological activities” in the eastern European country were a potential “false flag” effort in action.
Repeating Washington’s position that Ukraine does not have a biological weapons programme, she added it was Russia that could – and would – use such agents.
“Russia has a track record of falsely accusing other countries of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield told the 15-member council meeting.
It came after Boris Johnson expressed concerns over Russia spreading a “fake story” that the US or the Ukrainians have chemical weapons in Ukraine as a pretext for a potential attack – a claim that Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, denied late on Thursday night.
“I am the president of an adequate country… and the father of two children. And no chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction were developed on my land. The whole world knows that,” Mr Zelensky said in a video shared on social media.
Technology minister Chris Philp echoed these fears on Friday, setting out a stern warning to Putin and his officials. “Clearly the use of chemical weapons, especially in an invasion where there are a very large number of civilians, would be an outrage against humanity,” he told Times Radio, adding: “It will trigger an increased response from the West, a dramatic increased response, there’s no question about that.”
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine entered its 16th day, the battle for Kyiv also accelerated, with satellite images showing Russian military tanks coming at the capital from all sides.
Continuing their offensive, Putin’s troops tried to break through defences from Kukhari, 56 miles to the northwest, through to Demidov, 25 miles north of the capital, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in a statement.
And in a significant change of tack, a nearly 40-mile-long convoy of Russian military vehicles filmed in the last few days heading for Ukraine’s capital dispersed into nearby forests – with artillery now in firing positions – according to the latest satellite images by Maxar. It suggests a redeployment of Russia’s forces, in what is likely another push by Moscow to take Kyiv once and for all.
Elsewhere, Russia targeted the western part of Ukraine for the first time since the conflict began on 24 February, with airstrikes near airports in the cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk.
Four rockets were dropped on Lutsk’s military airport, which killed two soldiers and injured six others, according to the head of the regional council, Yurii Pohuliaiko. Lutsk in is the northwest of Ukraine.
Ruslan Martsinkiv, the mayor of Ivano-Frankiivsk, in the southwest, ordered residents to take cover in bomb shelters following an air raid alert after Ukraine’s parliament said explosions were heard nearby.
The central Ukrainian city of Dnipro was also hit by three missiles, killing at least one person, the state emergency services said.
Despite this, though, a UK intelligence update posted on Friday morning concluded: “Russian ground forces continue to make limited progress. Logistical issues that have hampered the Russian advance persist, as does strong Ukrainian resistance.
“Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days. This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.”
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