A Kremlin spokesman has refused to rule out the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. Dmitry Peskov, chief spokesman for the Russian president, told CNN that Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons if Moscow faced "an existential threat".
When asked in an interview if Putin would use his nuclear option, Peskov said: "We have a concept of domestic security. And it's public.
"You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used. So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept."
Russia, which has the world's largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, was condemned by the US for refusing to rule out using nuclear weapons. The Pentagon described Peskov's remarks as "dangerous".
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters: "It's not the way a responsible nuclear power should act." However, Mr Kirby said the US "haven't seen anything that would lead us to conclude that we need to change our strategic deterrent posture".
Peskov also denied that Russia's invasion of Ukraine had stalled. He said the military operation was going “strictly in accordance with the plans and purposes that were established beforehand."
Peskov reiterated that Putin’s main goals were to “get rid of the military potential of Ukraine” and “ensure that Ukraine changes from an anti-Russian centre to a neutral country”.
Russians have destroyed Chernobyl lab, say Ukraine officials
Russian troops have destroyed a laboratory at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to the Ukrainian state agency responsible for the site's exclusion zone. The decommissioned plant was seized by Russian military forces at the beginning of the war.
The laboratory, among other things, works to improve management of radioactive waste. The state agency said the laboratory, built at a cost of six million euros (£4.9 million) with support from the European Commission, opened in 2015.
The agency released a statement which said the lab contained "highly active samples and samples of radionuclides that are now in the hands of the enemy, which we hope will harm itself and not the civilized world". Radionuclides are unstable atoms of chemical elements that release radiation.
In another worrying development, Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory agency said on Monday that radiation monitors around the plant had stopped working.
Zelensky accuses Russian forces of seizing humanitarian convoy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian forces of seizing a humanitarian convoy transporting aid to the besieged port city of Mariupol. He said bus drivers and employees of the state emergency service "have been taken captive".
“We are trying to organise stable humanitarian corridors for Mariupol residents, but almost all of our attempts, unfortunately, are foiled by the Russian occupiers, by shelling, or deliberate terror,” Mr Zelensky said. He added that the Russians had agreed to the convoy's route ahead of time.
In his nightly televised address, Mr Zelensky said more than 7,000 people were evacuated from Mariupol on Tuesday. But he said around 100,000 remain in the city “in inhuman conditions, under a full blockade, without food, without water, without medicine and under constant shelling, under constant bombardment".
US set to announce new sanctions against Russia
US President Joe Biden is expected to announce further sanctions against Russia on Thursday. The announcement is set to coincide with Mr Biden's trip to Brussels where he will meet with Nato and European allies.
Sanctions that have already been announced are also expected to be tightened. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “He will join our partners in imposing further sanctions on Russia and tightening the existing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to ensure robust enforcement.”
Mr Biden is travelling to Brussels and Poland - which has received more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled since the February 24 invasion.
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