NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday warned that Russia was inventing false pretexts to possibly use chemical weapons following its invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, the chief of West’s military alliance said that the absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine might be used by Kremlin as a false pretext to justify what would be a war crime.
“In recent days, we have heard absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons laboratories,” Stoltenberg was quoted by Welt am Sonntag as saying.
“Now that these false claims have been made, we must remain vigilant because it is possible that Russia itself could plan chemical weapons operations under this fabrication of lies. That would be a war crime,” Stoltenberg added.
Also Read: Interest rates on PF deposits cut to 4 decades low of 8.1 per cent
He added that although the Ukrainian people were resisting the Russian invasion with courage, the coming days are likely to bring even greater hardship.
Meanwhile, a troop of Ukrainian soldiers are keeping up morale by firing a constant barrage of artillery at the Russians. Their shelling has so far stopped Moscow’s tanks entering Kyiv from the east. And they hope that the enemy forces, which have struggled to take large cities, will eventually get bogged down.
Wearing camouflage uniform and carrying a Kalashnikov, a soldier nicknamed Topaz watches the motorway running north from Kyiv’s eastern suburbs.
Russian forces advance ever closer to the capital from the north, west and northeast. Russian strikes also destroy an airport in the town of Vasylkiv, south of the city.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says Kiev is already effectively “under siege” as the army and volunteers prepare to defend the city, street by street.
(With inputs from agencies)
