Ukraine war: Russia drops phosphorus bombs linked to Eurovision
Mariupol, Ukraine - Russia dropped phosphorus bombs on the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukrainian sources said on Sunday, following Ukraine's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).
"Hell has come to earth. To Azovstal," Mariupol city council deputy Petro Andriushchenko wrote on Telegram. He posted a video of the attack, also showing artillery fire, although the footage could not be independently verified.
Phosphorus bombs are incendiary bombs which ignite on contact with oxygen and cause devastating damage. Their use is banned under international law in populated areas.
Andriushchenko also published pictures showing inscriptions on bombs that appeared to indicate they were dropped in response to Ukraine winning the ESC in Turin, Italy.
The source of the images was unclear but writing in Russian on the weapons suspected to be bombs read: "Kalusha, as requested! To Azovstal" and in English "Help Mariupol - Help Azovstal right now" dated May 14.
These were the words of the singer of the Kalush Orchestra, who made an appeal on the stage in Turin after winning the contest.
Russia was excluded from the ESC due to the war.
There are some 1,000 people holed up in the besieged Azovstal steel plant, according to Ukrainian sources. Attempts to rescue them are proving difficult, but they continue to refuse Russian calls to surrender.
Ukraine sees its first Russian airstrike near Poland in weeks
Meanwhile, parties supporting Russia's war are soon to be banned in Ukraine, after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law passed at the beginning of May, according to the parliamentary website on Saturday.
The ban targets parties that justify or deny Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began in February.
Ukrainian authorities stopped the activities of nearly a dozen parties alleged to have links to Russia in March. The new law is set to come into force a day after its official publication.
For the first time in days, Russian forces have shelled military infrastructure in the region around Lviv in western Ukraine, according to Ukraininan authorities.
No deaths or casualties were reported following the rocket attack on Sunday morning, the head of the military administration in Lviv, Governor Maxym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.
The extent of the destruction is being investigated. One site near Yavoriv - presumably around the military training area there - was said to be completely destroyed.
This was the first Russian airstrike in about a week in the region near the Polish border. Russia's army initially didn't provide any information on the attack in its update.
Cover photo: REUTERS