chemical weapons watchdog concerned by mariupol reports

In the latest in a series of Ukrainian criticisms of the ICRC, Mr Zelenskyy also said no one had yet visited Olenivka - a notorious camp in eastern Ukraine where dozens of Ukrainian POWs died in an explosion and fire in July.

Speaking in his nightly video address on Thursday, Mr Zelenskyy accused the ICRC of inaction in upholding the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war. The committee also said it had been 'ready for months' to visit the Olenivka penal facility in an apparent response to comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for immediate access to all prisoners of war following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mr Lukashenko crushed the demonstrations and all leading opposition figures have been jailed or forced to flee abroad. Political analysts say that is an unappealing option for him but that he may not be in a position to refuse if Russian President Vladimir Putin demands it.īelarus depends on Russia politically and economically, and Mr Putin's support helped Mr Lukashenko survive mass pro-democracy protests in 2020. Its latest troop movements have raised concern in Kyiv and the West that Mr Lukashenko may be about to commit his army to support Russia's faltering war effort. Everything is going according to plan.'īelarus is allied with Moscow but wedged between Russia, Ukraine and three NATO countries.īelarus allowed Russia to use its territory as one of the launchpads for its 24 February invasion. 'Therefore we began a procedure with the Union group of forces, the basis of which, as I already said, is the Belarusian army, which will be supplemented by units from the Russian Federation.

'In connection with the escalation of tension, a regime of heightened terrorist danger has been introduced,' Mr Lukashenko said in a Russian TV interview. Mr Lukashenko linked the move to his announcement on Monday that he had ordered Belarusian troops to deploy with Russian forces near Belarus's southern border with Ukraine. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he has placed his country in a state of heightened terrorism alert because of tensions on its borders.

Chemical weapons watchdog concerned by mariupol reports