Boris warns Russia could use chemical weapons as Ukrainians seen 'fighting for food'

11 March 2022, 00:39 | Updated: 11 March 2022, 07:15

Boris Johnson has warned Russia could use chemical weapons
Boris Johnson has warned Russia could use chemical weapons. Picture: Alamy

By Emma Soteriou

Boris Johnson has warned that Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine while locals have been seen "attacking each other for food".

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The Prime Minister said the potential escalation was "straight out of Russia's playbook", adding that Russia would already be preparing a "fake story" to blame the West after having already accused the US of developing its own chemical weapons.

He also reiterated that a no-fly zone would not be imposed over Ukraine, amid concerns it could lead to a Third World War.

By Friday, it was reported that the large armoured column north west of Kyiv had begun to move, with the Russians now potentially just nine miles from the city centre after apparently getting bogged down.

Read more: Russian armoured convoy 'on the move' as Klitschko warns Kyiv is now a 'fortress'

It comes as Russia, on Thursday evening, called for a UN Security Council meeting to take place on Friday to discuss what it claims are "the military biological activities of the US on the territory of Ukraine".

Meanwhile, Red Cross revealed that starving Ukrainians had resorted to "attacking each other for food" and looting pharmacies in besieged cities for access to the essentials.

Sasha Volkov, deputy head of the International Committee of the Red Cross's delegation in the city, spoke of the grim conditions particularly in Mariupol.

"Some people still have food, but I'm not sure for how long it will last," he said.

"Many people report having no food for children. People started to attack each other for food. 

"People started to ruin someone's car to take the gasoline out."

Read more: Ukraine will not be 'chopped up' for a peace deal, Zelenskyy's advisor tells LBC

Read more: 'Ukrainian propaganda': Russia says pic of pregnant woman in hospital attack is 'fake'

Zelenskyy's advisor on Russian invasion: "If anything, they're losing."

A maternity hospital in Mariupol was also recently hit by a Russian air strike, leaving children stuck in the wreckage.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Johnson said: "What's happened in Mariupol in that maternity hospital really shows that Putin is prepared just to reject, to abandon, all norms of civilised behaviour.

"The difficulty is that there is a line beyond which, quite frankly, the UK and Nato would be deemed to be in conflict - direct conflict - with Russia.

"It's agonising. It's absolutely agonising. And I've had this conversation at least a couple of times now with Volodymyr, but I think the difficulty is that it will require me to order RAF jets, UK pilots into the air with a mission to shoot down Russian fast jets.

"I think we've got to be realistic... there's a line that is very difficult to cross."

He went on to say: "They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans and so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go."

Ukraine: Matt Frei says Russia doesn't really seem to care very much about civilian casualties

Mr Johnson's comments followed a speech by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the US on Thursday, where she said that allies need to rally together to "be tough, get peace".

She added that the West's prior "illusions" that "the spread of peace and stability was inevitable" had been "shattered" by Mr Putin's aggression towards his neighbour.

"We knew what Putin was doing. We had the intelligence... but actually we didn't need it, because Putin announced his designs on Ukraine in public," she said.

"He set his plans down in black and white and put them up on the Kremlin's website. But still we didn't want to believe it.

"Well, we believe it now. The world has woken up. The era of complacency is over. We must rise to this moment."

All visa checks for Ukrainian refugees should be done at the UK border

It followed the decision by the UK Government on Thursday to u-turn on the visa system for Ukrainian refugees.

Home Secretary Priti Patel announced a streamlined online application system after coming under fire for the speed of processing in recent days.

More than two million Ukrainians are thought to have fled the Russian invasion so far, with most escaping to Poland.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Trump and Harris go head to head

US Election night guide: What time do polls close and who is favourite to win?

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had only just turned 12 when he took part in the violent disorder

Britain's youngest rioter: Boy who had just turned 12 sentenced for involvement in violent disorder

The 170-metre red bridge over wetlands in Canada Water, south-east London, opened last week

Security guards to stop cyclists from using bright red ‘wildlife boardwalk’ at £3.3bn London housing development

Rubert Gispin was visiting flood-hit parts of his native Valencia

Spanish influencer defends ‘shameful’ decision to deliberately cover himself in mud in Valencia’s flood damaged streets

Sara Sharif's father denies murdering the 10-year-old.

Father claims he begged to save Sara Sharif before being told ‘Leave it, she’s dead’

Queen Camilla is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week

The Queen withdraws from engagements this week after being taken ill, Buckingham Palace announces

Tesco customers are furious after being forced to wait hours to book a Christmas delivery slot.

'It's like getting Beyonce tickets': Fury as Tesco shoppers face 'ridiculous' online queues for Christmas delivery slots

Ladbaby has broken its silence on historic allegations of gripping.

Charity chart-topper Ladbaby breaks his silence on 'groping' allegations

Labour MP Chris Webb 'attacked and mugged' near London flat by phone snatching gang

Labour MP Chris Webb 'attacked and mugged' near London flat by phone snatching gang

The White House has been barricaded and restaurants and stores boarded up as tensions rise over the election.

Washington DC braces for unrest as White House is barricaded and stores boarded up ahead of US election

Sir Chris Hoy said 'if you're over the age of 45, go and ask your doctor' for screening

Sir Chris Hoy calls for men to be offered prostate cancer screening from the age of 45 after his terminal diagnosis

Kamala Harris went door-knocking in Pennsylvania on the night before the election

Kamala Harris surprises residents in Pennsylvania as she goes door-knocking in final bid to win votes

Nearly 600 police officers sacked in a year amid as shocking figures reveal extent of misconduct crackdown

Nearly 600 police officers sacked in a year as shocking figures reveal extent of misconduct crackdown

Hundreds of people died in the devastating flooding in Spain

British man who survived Valencia floods describes hearing his neighbours’ horrifying final screams before they died

Amy Dowden said she was ‘heartbroken' as she left this year's Strictly Come Dancing

Amy Dowden says her ‘heart is breaking’ after she confirmed she will not return to Strictly

Anthony Scaramucci said the row between Trump and Labour would blow over

'Anglophile' Trump's row with Starmer will have 'no impact' on wider relations with UK, Anthony Scaramucci says