伦敦——马里乌波尔市长表示，数万名平民可能丧生，因为分析师警告称，俄罗斯正在重新集结，准备对乌克兰东部发动新一轮袭击。
马里乌波尔市长瓦迪姆·博琴科(Vadym Boychenko)周一表示，马里乌波尔的街道上布满了尸体。
虽然伤亡人数尚未得到证实，但市长表示，这座沿海城镇的死亡人数可能远远超过1万人，这是自俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来最严重的轰炸之一。
“如果有可能提到这么恐怖的数字，那就是在一万以上。不幸的是，根据我们的估计，有20，000多人，”Boychenko在接受美联社采访时说。
过去几周，俄罗斯空袭了这座东南部城市，目标是各种建筑，包括一家收容寻求避难者的剧院、一家妇产医院和一所艺术学校。官员称该市80%以上的地方被摧毁。
由于这座城市几乎完全与外界隔绝，当局很难核实据称在当地发生的暴行，包括极右翼团体亚速海营(Azov battalion)周一提出的指控，该组织现在隶属于乌克兰国民警卫队，称俄罗斯可能对该市的乌克兰军队使用了化学武器。
ABC新闻无法独立证实这些说法。
乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽伦斯基(Volodymyr Zelenskyy)的办公室和该国国防部表示，他们正在调查这些指控。
“我们目前正在确认这一信息，试图了解它是什么。根据初步信息，我们可以说这是可能的——更确切地说，这是一枚含磷弹药。官方信息将在晚些时候最终确定，”国防部副部长汉娜·马利亚尔(Hanna Maliar)在全国新闻广播中表示。
国际文传电讯社周二援引俄罗斯支持的分裂分子发言人爱德华·巴苏林的话说，他们“没有在马里乌波尔使用任何化学武器。”
但在所谓的袭击前夕，巴苏林在俄罗斯电视台上表示，他的部队应该对乌克兰军队使用化学武器，“把他们熏出来”。
周一晚些时候，五角大楼发言人约翰·柯比发表声明说，一种物质的使用无法得到证实，但对俄罗斯可能使用“包括催泪瓦斯在内的防暴剂混合化学制剂”表示担忧。
“我们注意到社交媒体报道称，俄罗斯军队在乌克兰马里乌波尔部署了潜在的化学弹药。我们现在无法确认，将继续密切关注情况。这些报道如果属实，将令人深感担忧，并反映出我们对俄罗斯可能在乌克兰使用各种防暴制剂的担忧，包括混合了化学制剂的催泪瓦斯，”声明写道。
英国武装部队大臣周二表示，如果俄罗斯诉诸在乌克兰东部城市马里乌波尔使用化学武器，“西方可能如何回应的所有可能选项都摆在桌面上”，以回应这一猜测，称这些报道尚未得到证实。
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磷是否被认为是化学武器是军方和政府争论的话题。
尽管《化学武器公约》没有将磷归类为化学武器，但《日内瓦公约》禁止将其作为燃烧武器用于民用领域。
据报道，俄罗斯正在自己的边界后重新集结，英国国防部今天警告说，随着新一轮攻击的到来，战斗将在未来两三周内加剧。
英国国防部表示，“随着俄罗斯继续重新关注乌克兰东部，那里的战斗将在未来两到三周内加剧。”在一条推文中声明。
“俄罗斯的攻击仍然集中在顿涅茨克和卢甘斯克附近的乌克兰阵地，赫尔松和米科莱夫周围发生进一步战斗，并再次向克拉马托尔斯克推进。俄罗斯军队继续从白俄罗斯撤出，以便重新部署，支持乌克兰东部的行动，”该帖子补充道。
Tens of thousands feared dead in Mariupol as Russia renews assault in eastern Ukraine
LONDON -- Tens of thousands of civilians could be dead in Mariupol, the city's mayor said, as analysts warn that Russia is regrouping for a renewed assault on eastern Ukraine.
The streets in Mariupol are “carpeted” with bodies, Vadym Boychenko, the mayor of Mariupol, said Monday.
While there is no confirmed number of casualties, the mayor suggested the number of dead could be well over 10,000 in the coastal town, the site of some of the worst bombardment since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
"If it is possible to mention such a terrifying number, then it is above 10,000. According to our estimates, it is 20,000 plus, unfortunately,” Boychenko said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Russian airstrikes have battered the southeastern city over the past few weeks targeting all kinds of buildings, including a theatre housing those seeking refuge, a maternity hospital and an art school. Officials say that over 80 percent of the city is destroyed.
With the city almost completely cut off from the outside world, it has been difficult for the authorities to verify atrocities alleged to have been committed on the ground, including claims made Monday by the Azov battalion, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian National Guard, that Russia may have used chemical weapons against the Ukrainian forces in the city.
The claims could not be independently verified by ABC News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office and the country's ministry of defense said they are investigating the claims.
“We are currently confirming this information, trying to understand what it was. According to preliminary information, we can say that it is possible– that it was, rather, a phosphorous munition. Official information will be finalized later," Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defence, said during a national news broadcast.
A spokesman for Russian-backed separatists, Eduard Basurin, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying Tuesday that they "haven't used any chemical weapons in Mariupol."
But on the eve of the alleged attack, Basurin made the case on Russian TV that his forces should use chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops to "smoke them out."
Late on Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby issued a statement saying that the use of a substance cannot be confirmed, but expressed concerns about Russia’s potential use of “riot control agents including tear gas mixed with chemical agents.”
“We are aware of social media reports which claim Russian forces deployed a potential chemical munition in Mariupol, Ukraine. We cannot confirm at this time and will continue to monitor the situation closely. These reports, if true, are deeply concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine,” the statement reads.
Britain's armed forces minister said on Tuesday that should Russia resort to the use of chemical weapons in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, "all possible options are on the table in terms of how the West might respond” in response to the speculation, saying the reports had not been verified.
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Whether or not phosphorous is considered a chemical weapon is a topic of debate among militaries and governments.
Although phosphorus is not classified as a chemical weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Geneva Convention forbids its use as an incendiary weapon in civilian areas.
Amidst the reports of Russia regrouping behind its own borders, the British Ministry of Defense warned today that the fighting is set to intensify over the next two-three weeks with a renewed assault.
“Fighting in eastern Ukraine will intensify over the next two to three weeks as Russia continues to refocus its efforts there,” the U.K.'s ministry of defensestated in a tweet.
“Russian attacks remain focused on Ukrainian positions near Donetsk and Luhansk with further fighting around Kherson and Mykolaiv and a renewed push towards Kramatorsk. Russian forces continue to withdraw from Belarus in order to redeploy in support of operations in eastern Ukraine," the post added.
