The Russian military is under siege in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, and officials in Washington and London are looking into the possibility of chemical weapons being used.
The theater in Mariupol was damaged during fighting.
The leader of the Ukrainian ultranationalist paramilitary Azov regiment said that Russian forces had used a drone to attack the Ukrainian troops in Mariupol.
Three people have shown clear signs of chemical poisoning, including a neurological disorder called vestibulocerebellar ataxia, according to the group.
The staffer from the Mariupol mayor's office wrote on Telegram that the reported chemical attack had not been confirmed yet and that he would provide details and clarifications later.
As of Monday evening, the use of chemical weapons could not be confirmed, but the issue was being closely monitored.
The British government was working quickly with partners to verify details, according to Liz Truss.
Australia's foreign minister Marise Payne told the press on Tuesday that he had received reports about the use of chemical weapons by Russia and that the Australian government was looking into it.
Kirby said that the reports are concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia's potential to use a variety of riot control agents.
A statement made by the spokesman for the Russian-backed rebels in the eastern part of the country came after claims by the Azov regiment. The Russian military and its proxies should not storm the well-fortified steel mill in Mariupol because it is too dangerous for them to do so, according to Basurin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to impose harsher sanctions on Moscow after he warned that Russia could use chemical weapons in his country. Zelensky said his government is treating the threat with seriousness.
Russian forces were bogged down in the battlefield due to fierce Ukrainian resistance, and the U.S. officials were worried that they might use chemical weapons. The Secretary of State warned of a false flag operation in which Russia could use a chemical weapon and then blame the Ukrainian military. Russia would use the false claim to justify its attacks on the Ukrainian people. Russian forces have retreated from their positions in northern Ukraine after failing to lay siege to the capital city of Kyiv and have moved their troops to the east.
Reports of a possible Russian chemical weapons attack in Mariupol are being monitored by the Pentagon.
Zelensky calls for more sanctions against Russia.
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