After the city is destroyed, it is likely to attack the ground
UN “nuclear conflict is now possible area”
First evacuation of civilians from ‘Russian siege’ from Mariupol
As the Russian army gradually narrows the siege of the Ukrainian capital Kiev (Kyiv), it is predicted that a street battle is imminent. While there are signs that the war will be prolonged, there are also concerns that Russia may mobilize biological and chemical weapons and nuclear weapons to overturn the tide and seize victory.
On the 20th day of the invasion (local time), on the 15th (local time), explosions were heard throughout Kiiwu from dawn, AFP news agency reported. At least three powerful explosions were heard in the center of Kiiu, and at least two large explosions also occurred in the Borshagovka region of western Kiiu. A residential building in Kiiwu was engulfed in flames. No casualties were identified.
More than half of Kiiu’s 3 million residents have fled the city, and Russian tanks are expected to enter the city soon. The previous day, the British Telegraph predicted that “the Russian ground attack on Kiiu will begin soon”, saying, “It seems that the situation until now, where Russia has deployed troops and bombarded Kiiu since the start of the war, has changed.” If you look at the precedents in Syria and Chechnya or the situation in Chernivu and Mariupol in this war, it is analyzed that the Russian military’s tactic is to destroy the city with cannons and missiles and then launch a ground attack.
There are also speculations that Russia will use chemical and biological weapons. The British Ministry of Defense wrote on Twitter the day before, “It is possible that Russia will use chemical and biological weapons during Operation ‘Fake Flag’.” Recently, Russia has been claiming that Ukraine plans to use chemical and biological weapons, which the West sees as an intention to present ‘falsified evidence’ to justify Russia’s use of biological and chemical weapons.
Fears of escalating into a nuclear war have not subsided. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to strengthen the nuclear posture at the end of last month at the UN headquarters in New York, the day before, said, “The possibility of a nuclear conflict that was once unthinkable has now come back into the realm of possibility.”
There are also observations that the use of weapons of mass destruction will become a game changer that changes the game of this war. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said in an interview with the BBC on the 13th that “If President Putin uses weapons of mass destruction, it will be a game changer that will change the whole (the game of war).” He then urged the US and other countries to intervene more aggressively, saying, “NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) should seriously consider countermeasures.
Poland had previously expressed its intention to provide Ukraine with 28 MIG29 fighters operated by its own air force, but the United States refused to do so due to concerns about an escalation of war.
The evacuation of civilians from the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine took place for the first time in about a week after a Russian siege. The Mariupol city council said on the same day that “about 160 private vehicles left Mariupol and passed through Bersk, 85 kilometers away,” Archyde.com reported.
The Russian army is strengthening the artillery fire on the city as civilians are evacuated through the ‘humanitarian corridor’. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on the same day that Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) militia backed by Russian forces destroyed all Ukrainian firing points in the suburbs of Mariupol.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a bill to Parliament to extend the martial law, which was scheduled to last until the 24th, by 30 days.
Reporter Lee Jung-soo
Reporter Yoon Yeon-jung