The Pentagon says it¡¯s monitoring claims that Russian forces deployed a poisonous substance in the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which if confirmed as a chemical weapon could further escalate the war. Yet clarity will be difficult to achieve.
The allegations were made by members of the Azov battalion, a right wing militia folded into Ukraine¡¯s National Guard that has been part of Mariupol¡¯s defense and has now retreated to the city¡¯s vast steel factory, Azovstal, to mount a final stand.
The group posted video footage of some soldiers and a civilian suffering effects they said included flushed faces, heartburn, inflamed mucous membranes and dryness of the eyes.
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