11:39 p.m.
According to preliminary information, Russian troops used sarin gas, Ukrainian media report.
Sarin is a toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound.
A liquid that turns into a toxic gas when evaporated, it is extremely dangerous to humans because of its extreme potency as a nerve agent. Exposure is lethal even at very low concentrations, where death can occur within one to ten minutes after direct inhalation of a lethal dose, due to suffocation from respiratory paralysis, unless antidotes are quickly administered. People who absorb a non-lethal dose, but do not receive immediate medical treatment, may suffer permanent neurological damage.
The gas enters the body through the skin and respiratory organs, as well as through mucous membranes. Remaining on the clothes, it continues to evaporate and poison the victim, as well as everyone around them. Sarin gas is known to be heavier than air, so the risk of exposure is greater if one is in a basement or in any low-lying area.
11:18 p.m.
“About an hour ago, Russian troops used against Ukrainian military and civilians in the city of Mariupol a toxic substance of unknown origin, which was dropped from a UAV,” Ukrainian media report, citing the press service of the Azov regiment.
The victims are said to be suffering from respiratory failure and vestibular ataxia.
The consequences of the use of the unknown substance are being clarified.
7:53 p.m.
DPR military may resort to “the help of chemical troops” to seize the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Eduard Basurin, spokesperson for the so-called “People’s Militia of the DPR”, said on the air on the Russian Channel One.
“There are underground floors there, so it doesn’t make sense to take this object by assault, because we could lose a large number of our soldiers, while the enemy won’t sustain any casualties as such. This is why at this point we must close off this plant, find all the exits and entrances; it can be done in principle. And after that, I think we should involve the chemical troops, who will find a way to smoke the moles out of their holes,” Basurin said.
Mariupol has been under blockade since March 1, 2022.
Translated from Haqqin.az
