London: The UK on Monday said the possibility of Russia using phosphorous military weapons in Ukraine's Mariupol has increased as fighting for the city escalates.
The UK Defence Ministry tweeted, "Russian forces prior use of phosphorous munitions in the Donetsk Oblast raises the possibility of their future employment in Mariupol as fighting for the city intensifies. Russian shelling has continued in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with Ukrainian forces repulsing several assaults resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles, and artillery equipment."
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had accused the Russian troops of using phosphorus bombs. "Europe is going through a war, every day of which is full of war crimes of Russian troops," he said, according to an NBC News translation. "This morning, I received information that Russian troops had used phosphorus bombs against civilians in Ukraine."
The UK Ministry said that Russia's dependency on unguided bombs has decreased its ability to determine targeting and conducting strike and this increases the risk of civilian casualties.
Earlier, the ministry had said that more evidence of alleged Russian war crimes are likely to emerge following its withdrawal from northern Ukraine, including reported discovery of a mass grave.
It said, "Further evidence of alleged Russian war crimes continues to emerge following Russian withdrawal from northern Ukraine. This includes the reported discovery of a makeshift grave containing deceased Ukrainian civilians near Burzova. Allegations of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian military personnel persist".
The ongoing conflict between the two nations started on February 24 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (UNI)