Heading towards World War III?

The war in Ukraine could take a dangerous turn. Russia is stockpiling missiles in Belarus. Kyiv fears Moscow could launch an operation next week - on the Independence Day of Ukraine.

Several Russian soldiers involved in the military operation in Ukraine have been hospitalized with severe chemical poisoning, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Traces of Botulinum toxin Type B, which is an “organic poison of artificial origin,” have been discovered in samples taken from the servicemen, the ministry said, accusing Kiev of “chemical terrorism.”

The Russian troops were “hospitalized with signs of severe poisoning” after being stationed near the village of Vasilyevka in Zaporozhye Region on July 31, the statement said.

“The Zelensky regime has authorized terrorist attacks with the use of toxic substances against Russian personnel and civilians” following a string of military defeats in Donbass and other areas, the ministry insisted.

Moscow plans to send laboratory tests from the soldiers to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Botulinum toxin, often called the “miracle poison,” is one of the most toxic biological substances known to science. Produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria, it blocks the release of the acetylcholine neurotransmitter, causing muscle paralysis.

Botulinum toxin Type A has been used in medicine in small doses in recent decades, especially to treat disorders characterized by overactive muscle movement. It’s also well known in cosmetology under its shortened name, Botox.

However, Botulinum toxin poses a major threat as a bioweapon due its ease of production and distribution, and the high fatality rate resulting from poisoning. Recovery is only possible after a lengthy period of intensive care.

www.rt.com/russia/561214-ukraine-chemical-poisoning-moscow

The US is planning to supply Ukraine with GPS-guided high-precision M982 Excalibur artillery shells, Politico reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The shell is equipped with an armor-penetrating warhead and has a laser-guided version. The munitions can be fired using US-made M777 howitzers, which are already being used by Ukrainian troops.

The shells can hit targets at a range of up to 70km, depending on the artillery caliber, according to the manufacturer, Raytheon Technologies. The Excalibur munitions would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russian-controlled territories.

Reports in May said Canada was providing a number of Excalibur shells to Ukraine that were left over from the war in Afghanistan.

The report in Politico has come as the US announced an additional $775 million worth of military aid to Kiev. The package includes 1,000 Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile systems and 1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles. The Pentagon is also providing Ukraine with 40 heavily armored MaxxPro mine-resistant vehicles, which were originally developed for US forces in Iraq.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in June that “flooding” the neighboring country with foreign weapons will only lead to more “suffering in Ukraine” and will not change the course of the conflict.

www.rt.com/news/561242-us-excalibur-missiles-ukraine

Berlin supplies “a lot of weapons” to Kiev and will continue to provide Ukraine “with what it needs for its defense,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, in response to criticism from a former Bundeswehr general.

Germany is currently “in the process of supplying the most modern and efficient equipment,” Scholz stressed during a traditional ‘open-doors day’ this weekend, citing recent multiple deliveries of self-propelled ‘Gepard’ anti-aircraft guns and PzH 2000 howitzers.

The German leader claimed that his main focus remains on “ensuring that there is no escalation of the war,” when a retired Bundeswehr general Klaus Wittmann accused him of a lack of “leadership” and appearing “intimidated” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as cited by the German news outlet NTV.

Even more weapons “will be there soon,” Scholz vowed, apparently referring to the long-promised deliveries of an Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile system and a Cobra artillery radar, but providing no clear timeline.

Back in June, Berlin promised to send Kiev one Iris-T unit for free, but Ukraine wants at least a dozen and has offered to purchase the rest directly from the manufacturer, even though Germany’s armed forces reportedly do not have enough air-defense systems themselves. Kiev is expected to receive the first such system no earlier than November, according to previous reports.

Last month, Germany also committed a Cobra artillery radar to Ukraine, reportedly set for delivery in September. According to German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Kiev has already signed the contract for the materials and troops should have starting training to operate “this highly complex system.”

www.rt.com/news/561274-germany-scholz-ukraine-weapons

There will be no more peace talks with Russia if Ukrainian POWs are subjected to a “show trial,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said.

Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) authorities previously said that they are planning tribunals for suspected war crimes committed by Ukrainian troops, including the Azov Battalion, whose ranks include fighters with openly nationalist and neo-Nazi views.

“If this despicable show trial takes place… This will be the line beyond which any negotiations are impossible. Russia will cut itself off from any negotiations,” Zelensky said in a video address early Monday, adding that such a trial would be a violation of international law.

Zelensky’s statement comes after photos appeared on social media allegedly showing large cages being installed on the stage of the Mariupol Philharmonic. Ukraine’s military intelligence service, the GUR, said that the cages will be used to house Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian and Donbass forces during the siege of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

DPR head Denis Pushilin told TASS news agency this month that “active preparations” for the tribunal were underway. “The first tribunal will most likely be held in Mariupol. It will be organized by the end of summer,” he said.

The peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been stalled since spring.

www.rt.com/russia/561277-zelensky-talks-pow-trial

Western nations are stalling the conflict in Ukraine to cause more damage to Russia, but the longer it lasts, the more difficult it will be to end with a peaceful solution, a senior Russian diplomat has stated.

Ukraine’s current position makes diplomatic contact with Russia impossible, Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, told the Financial Times on Sunday.

The US and its allies are using the hostilities in Ukraine “as a matter of pressure on Russia, as a tool of isolation of Russia … damaging our position, economically, politically,” he said.

Consequently, Kiev broke off direct talks with Russia in March, which promised a potential resolution to the conflict, the diplomat said. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed the talks with Russia were no longer possible after accusing Russia in April of committing war crimes in the town of Bucha near Kiev. Russia denied the allegations.

Zelensky repeatedly said he was ready to talk to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to end the conflict, but would do so only after all Russian troops withdrew to the pre-2014 positions. Moscow believes this indicated that there was no “practical platform” for a Putin-Zelensky meeting, Gatilov said.

“Now, I do not see any possibility for diplomatic contacts,” Gatilov told the British newspaper. “And the more the conflict goes on, the more difficult it will be to have a diplomatic solution.”

www.rt.com/russia/561279-gatilov-ukraine-conflict-peace