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       Smoke billows from airport in Lviv as air raid sirens sound following Russian shelling

       Ben Wallace has warned Vladimir Putin may use chemical weapons as a “false flag operation” in his invasion of Ukraine.

       The defence secretary shared three suggestions of what the world might see next from the Russian president.

       The first could be Putin resorting to “encirclement, followed be persistent bombardment and siege”, he wrote, while the second might involve the introduction of chemical weapons “either using a false flag operation to attempt to justify more violence, or as a straight military tactic”.

       His comments came after an aircraft repair plant was hit by Russian missiles in the western city of Lviv on Thursday morning.

       The building near Danylo Halytskyi International Airport – Ukraine’s second-biggest airport – has been destroyed, city mayor Andriy Sadovy said, but no one was hurt.

       Until now, Lviv – close to the border with Poland – had been largely untouched by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began on 24 February.

       Meanwhile, 130 people have so far been rescued from the rubble of a bomb shelter beneath a theatre in Mariupol.

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       Key Points Putin may use chemical weapons for ‘false flag’, defence secretary warns 130 people rescued from destroyed Mariupol theatre Russian missiles strike near Lviv airport Russia Today (RT) licence revoked by UK media watchdog Ukrainian refugees in Poland exceed 2 million in number Shelling kills three people in eastern Ukraine

       Show latest update 1647606011 Food supply chains are ‘falling apart’ in Ukraine, UN warns

       Food supply chains in Ukraine are collapsing, with a portion of infrastructure destroyed and many grocery stores and warehouses empty, a UN World Food Programme (WFP) official has warned.

       Jakob Kern also expressed concern about the situation in “encircled cities” such as Mariupol, saying that food and water supplies were running out and that its convoys had been unable to enter the city.

       Read more:

       Food supply chains are ‘falling apart’ in Ukraine, UN warns World Food Programme says food and water supplies are running out in besieged cities such as Mariupol

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 12:20

       1647605401 Life echoes art for Ukraine’s Eurovision winner who has had to flee country

       Six years ago Ukrainian singer Jamala conquered Europe with a song about Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s deportation of hundreds of thousands of people from her Black Sea homeland of Crimea in World War Two.

       Now Jamala is a refugee herself after fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion, which drove her and her children to seek shelter outside Ukraine.

       Read more:

       Life echoes art for Ukraine’s Eurovision winner who has had to flee country Jamala, a Crimean Tatar, won Eurovision in 2016

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 12:10

       1647604928 Putin may use chemical weapons for ‘false flag op’, defence secretary warns

       Ben Wallace has warned Vladimir Putin may use chemical weapons as a “false flag operation” in his invasion of Ukraine.

       Musing over what the world can expect next from the Russian president, the defence secretary provided three suggestions in a ConservativeHome article:

       The first: “Resort to encirclement, followed by persistent bombardment and siege”

       Second: “Introduction of chemical weapons into the conflict. Either using a false flag operation to attempt to justify more violence, or as a straight military tactic in the same way that we saw Sarin gas deployed in Syria.”

       Third: “Attempt to widen the conflict to distract from failure. Putin may feel that the way out of the hole that he has made for himself is to lash out and hope other nations will join in the fight and therefore give him an excuse to escalate.”

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 12:02

       1647604239 Prams placed in central Liviv to represent children killed since Russian invasion

       This impactful photo shows prams placed in central Lviv to represent the dozens of children killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

       According to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, 109 children have so far been killed and more than 130 injured.

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 11:50

       1647603624 Video: Smoke billows from airport in Lviv as air raid sirens sound following Russian shelling

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       Smoke billows from airport in Lviv as air raid sirens sound following Russian shelling

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 11:40

       1647602748 Czech designer makes ‘Zelensky pillows’ to help Ukraine

       A Czech designer has come up with a novel way to raise money for Ukrainians suffering from the war in their country – by making pillows bearing the portrait of their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who he says has become a sex symbol for some.

       A woman works on a pillow cover with a portrait depicting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Ceska Lipa

       (Eva Korinkova/Reuters)

       Zelensky, tired, unshaven but defiant in his trademark green T-shirt, has become the face of Ukraine's resistance to Russia's invasion, rallying his compatriots from his bunker in Kyiv in daily broadcasts on social media.

       "Many people, mostly of the fair sex, see him as some kind of a sex symbol, so I got the idea to make a pillow which would look like he is actually in their bed," designer Tomas Brinek told Reuters.

       Brinek, who runs a satirical Instagram channel called TMBK which has more than 540,000 followers and usually pokes fun at politicians, said his limited edition hand-made pillows have attracted more than 2,000 orders and raised some 420,000 crowns (￡14,000) for a charity helping Ukrainians affected by the war.

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 11:25

       1647601824 Angry Ben Wallace gave officials ‘b******ing’ over hoax call

       Defence secretary Ben Wallace expressed his anger with British officials over a hoax call from an imposter claiming to be the Ukrainian prime minister, a fellow minister has said.

       Armed Forces minister James Heappey said Mr Wallace “can dish out a good b******ing” following the apparent breach of security the government has blamed on Russia.

       Adam Forrest has the full story:

       Angry Ben Wallace gave officials ‘b******ing’ over hoax Ukraine call Defence secretary asked ‘pretty tough questions’ about how chat with imposter arranged

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 11:10

       1647601273 130 people rescued from Mariupol theatre following air strike

       A total of 130 people have so far been rescued from a bomb shelter beneath a theatre in Mariupol, which was hit by an air strike on Wednesday.

       The theatre was hit by Russian forces despite the word “children” being written on the ground outside in Russian.

       Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said rescue work was ongoing at the site, where many people were sheltering underground before the building was hit.

       Here’s our original story about the bombing:

       Image shows Russian word for ‘children’ outside blown-up Mariupol theatre Number of casualties still unknown but between 1,000 and 1,2000 civilians thought to have been inside

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 11:01

       1647600923 Zoo urges people to buy e-tickets to help feed starving animals

       Ukraine’s besieged Mykolaiv zoo is urging people to buy e-tickets to help feed its animals as the city is shelled.

       The zoo’s director Volodymyr Topchyi decided to stay and helped the stressed animals as half of his staff were evacuated, while others went to war.

       Photos shared on the zoo’s Facebook page show shells stuck in the ground.

       In an update, he said the zoo’s tickets had sold out a month in advance as people from around the world rallied to support the attraction, while other zoos and organisations have sent food and medical supplies.

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 10:55

       1647598468 Video: Minister says Ben Wallace was ‘pretty cross’ about hoax Ukraine call

       Armed forces minister James Heappey says defence secretary Ben Wallace was “pretty cross” and asked “tough questions” after he was targeted by a hoax call from someone claiming to be the prime minister of Ukraine, writes Francesca Casonato.

       Mr Heappey said Mr Wallace “can dish out a good b******ing” following the apparent breach of security the government has blamed on Russia.

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       Minister says Ben Wallace was ‘pretty cross’ about hoax Ukraine call

       Chiara Giordano 18 March 2022 10:14

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