Have Russians used chemical weapons in Mariupol?

‘It is death for some of us’

CHeMICAL weapons were used against the beleaguered Ukrainian garrison in the port of Mariupol, it was claimed last night.

According to a reporter from a Kyiv newspaper, an unidentified agent was dropped by a drone.

Defenders in the city reported breathing issues and dizziness in the attack.

Details of the assault came via messaging app Telegram from the Azov Regiment which is besieged in the city. They have not been confirmed.

It came as heroic Ukrainian troops trapped in the besieged city admitted they expect to die after almost running out of ammunition.

The commander of an elite marine unit spelled out the reality for him and his men yesterday after more than 40 days of relentless fighting against the invading Russian forces.

In a harrowing Facebook post, the commanding officer of the 36th Marine Brigade said: ‘It is death for some of us and captivity for the rest. Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out.

‘The enemy has gradually pushed us back, surrounded us with fire and is now trying to destroy us.

‘The mountain of the [Ukrainian] wounded makes up almost half of the brigade. Those whose limbs are not torn off return to battle.

‘The infantry was all killed and the shooting battles are now conducted by artillerymen, anti-aircraft gunners, radio operators, drivers and cooks. even the orchestra.’

The troops’ last stand has so far denied the strategically significant city on the south coast to the Russians. Should Moscow take control, as is now expected, the Kremlin will hold the entire coast along the Sea of Azov and much of the Black Sea.

For weeks the fall of Mariupol has seemed inevitable, yet the Ukrainians have clung on to parts of the city centre. Since early March food supplies have been scarce, melted ice has been the only source of fresh water and there has been no heating or electricity.

The city has effectively been cut off from the rest of the country. The commander suggested the government in Kyiv could have done more to support his soldiers, adding: ‘We’ve done everything possible and impossible to retain control.

‘But nobody wants to communicate with us anymore because we have been written off.’ The razed city has seen the most intense fighting of the war.

Yesterday president Volodymyr Zelensky said: ‘Mariupol has been destroyed, there are tens of thousands of dead.’

Last night Denis Pushilin, leader of the breakaway Donetsk region, said: ‘Regarding the port of Mariupol, it is already under our control. Now the operation will be intensified.’

His claims could not be independently verified.

Yesterday the UK’s Ministry of Defence suggested that Russia could use deadly phosphorus bombs, which are banned in certain circumstances, in Mariupol to break resistance.