Good morning. Global outrage rises as Russian military targets civilians in Mariupol, while western officials are warning of “serious concern” that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons on Kyiv. In Australia, major flooding is continuing in some parts of NSW, and frustrations grow as flood victims miss out on relief payments.
Russian shelling has “completely destroyed” a children’s and maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukrainian authorities have said. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called the bombing of the 600-bed complex an “atrocity”, and says countless children remain trapped under the rubble. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmitryo Kuleba, accused Russia of “holding 400,000 people hostage” in Mariupol, a city in which continuous shelling has killed more than 1,170 residents in recent days. The EU has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on another 160 Russians connected to Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, the UN has urged Ukraine to remain “compassionate and humane” to men attempting to leave the country, despite the imposition of martial law.
