LIVE: Nationalists Provoke With Toxic Chemicals in Ukraine

Nationalists Provoke With Toxic Chemicals in Ukraine

Ukrainian nationalist forces are preparing provocations with dangerous chemicals at at least two locations in Ukraine, for which they plan to hold the Russian military responsible, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia's National Defense Management Center, has said.

"In Sumy, nationalists have mined the ammonia and chlorine storage facilities of the SumyJimProm chemical plant with the aim of mass poisoning the residents of the Sumy region in case the Russian Armed Forces enter the city," the military official reported.

In addition, the nationalists are preparing provocations with toxic chemicals in the village of Kotliarovo, Nikolayev region, southern Ukraine. "For this purpose, tanks with toxic chemicals have already been placed in the building of the local elementary school, which are planned to be detonated when Russian troops approach," Mizintsev specified.

"We warn in advance the whole civilized world and international organizations of the cynical provocations prepared by the Ukrainian authorities, which, if carried out, will again blame the Russian military, as has already happened many times," the senior official noted.

According to Maizintsev, the preparation of such provocations is carried out with the direct assistance of the USA and a number of European Union countries that consider Ukraine as their "anti-Russian policy tool".

Evacuation have been taking place without Kiev's participation

In the last 24 hours, 16,394 civilians were successfully evacuated from risk areas on Ukrainian territory, as well as from Donetsk and Lugansk republics without the participation of Ukrainian authorities. In total, the number of evacuees amounts to 314,252 people, including 66,594 children, since the beginning of the military operation.

Mikhail Mizintsev noted that Ukrainian nationalists do not let out more than 4.5 million civilians in Kiev, Kharkov, Chernobyl, Sumy and more than 20 blockaded localities. Also 6,830 foreigners from 19 countries, as well as the crews of 70 foreign vessels are "detained".

In addition, the representative of the Defense Ministry said that during the course of the day 37 humanitarian aid actions were carried out for civilians of the "liberated" territories, who received 267 tons of basic necessities, goods and medicines.

Moscow Warns of Ukrainian Mines Adrift in Black Sea

The Ukrainian Navy laid about 420 sea mines off the ports of Odessa, Ochakov, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny since the beginning of the Russian military operation in this country, reports the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB).

The Russian institution does not exclude the possibility that some of them may break off and drift towards the Bosporus or even the Mediterranean due to sea currents.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine have once again demonstrated a complete disregard for international law and for human lives, including those of citizens of the European Union,” the FSB said in a statement.

“With the onset of stormy conditions, the cables connecting the mines with their bottom anchors began to break. The mines are now drifting freely in the western part of the Black Sea,” it said.

The situation is likely to get even more hazardous, given the southward trajectory of the surface currents in the area, the FSB has warned. “It is not possible to rule out that the detached mines will drift into the Bosphorus and further into the Mediterranean Sea,” it added.

Russian Armed Forces break defenses of the Ukrainian Aidar battalion

The Russian Armed Forces has broken through the defenses of the Ukrainian Aidar battalion by crossing the Kashlagach River and advanced about five kilometers to the localities of Shakhterskoe and Novoukrainka.

UN Cooperates With Russia to Deliver Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine

Sputnik reported that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) is collaborating with the authorities in Russia and Ukraine to deliver humanitarian aid to people affected by the conflict.

"Following close discussions between OCHA and the Ministries of defense and foreign affairs in Moscow in parallel to similar contacts in the Ukraine, the first humanitarian convoy was successfully launched today to [the northeastern Ukrainian city of] Sumy delivering over [130] metric tons of life-saving assistance for the affected population there," the UN information center in Moscow said.

The United Nations and its partners in Ukraine completed the first convoy of urgent humanitarian aid to the city of Sumy in the northeast, one of the most war-affected areas of the country. The UN hopes this is the first of many shipments delivered to the people trapped by fighting.

The 130 metric tons of essential aid includes medical supplies, bottled water, ready-to-eat meals and canned food that will directly help some 35,000 people. In addition to these items, the convoy brought equipment to repair water systems to help 50,000 people.

The humanitarian supplies were provided by the World Food Programme, UN Refugee Agency, World Health Organization, and the UN Children’s Fund, as well as the NGO People in Need.

The UN counts on the continued cooperation of all parties as the agencies and our humanitarian partners scale up our relief operation to respond to the grave humanitarian crisis caused by this war.

In order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches all vulnerable communities in the Ukrainian crisis, UNOCHA "hopes to build on this positive exchange," the center said.

Russia Will Not Initiate Improvement of Relations With West - Lavrov

"We, of course, remain open to cooperation with any countries, including Western ones. Although given the way the West has behaved, we are not going to come up with any initiatives. Let's see how they will get out of the impasse they have driven themselves into", Lavrov said on the margins of the Leaders of Russia management competition.

On the other hand, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he cannot see a return of "normal relations' with Russia.

"To try to re-normalise relations with Putin after this, as we did in 2014, would be to make exactly the same mistake again", Johnson told a Conservative Party conference.

Russia Destroys Arms Depot in Western Ukraine

The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday informed that it has destroyed a subway warehouse with weapons and aerial ammunition in western Ukraine.

It indicated that in the military operation Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were used, being the first time that Moscow reports the use of this type of weapons during the military operation in the neighboring country.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the military installation was located in the Ivanko-Frankovsk region of Ukraine.

In addition, the Russian Defence Ministry on Saturday released video footage showing the destruction of a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage unit with precision weapons.

"The video shows a strike on a reconnaissance and sabotage unit of Ukrainian armed formations, carrying out reconnaissance and search operations on four US-made all terrain military vehicles. After the strike with precision missile weaponry, the group was destroyed", the Defence Ministry said.

According to the Russian military, the 69 Ukrainian military objects that were destroyed included four command posts, four anti-aircraft systems, one radar station for detection and designation of targets, three multiple rocket launcher systems, 12 weapons and ammunition depots and 43 points of concentration of military equipment.

Igor Konashenkov said that a total of 196 drones, 1,438 tanks and other armored vehicles, 145 multiple rocket launchers, 556 pieces of field artillery and mortars, and 1,237 special military vehicles have been destroyed since the start of the special military operation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Friday that the special military operation in the Donbas is primarily aimed at liberating its inhabitants from the suffering and genocide they have experienced in recent years.

Foreign Miniter Lavrov reiterates that the special military operation in Ukraine aims to eradicate threats against Russia

In an interview, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasised that Russia's Special Military Operation in Ukraine is aimed at eradicating any threat to his nation. The head of Russian diplomacy also pointed out that relations between Russia and Ukraine seek to escalate the confrontation.