Moscow-backed separatists deny using chemical weapons in Mariupol

AP , Tuesday 12 Apr 2022

A spokesman for Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has denied using chemical weapons to uproot Ukrainian troops in the port city of Mariupol.

Ukraine
An instructor trains Ukrainian nationals at a shooting range in Brno, Czech Republic, Sunday April 10, 2022. AP

Eduard Basurin was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying Tuesday that the separatist forces ``haven't used any chemical weapons in Mariupol.''

Basurin's assertion followed his statement Monday on Russian state TV that the separatists will use ``chemical troops'' against Ukrainian soldiers holed up at reinforced positions at a giant steel factory in Mariupol ``to smoke them out of there.''

A Ukrainian unit defending Mariupol claimed without providing evidence that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance on its positions. It indicated there were no serious injuries.

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