Ukraine prepares for Russian offensive in the east; West working to confirm reports of chemical weapons attack. Follow our live updates

An intelligence update on Tuesday morning from the U.K. Ministry of Defence said that Russian troops are continuing to withdraw from Belarus in order to redeploy in the eastern part of Ukraine.

-Matt Clinch

Japan’s industry minister said the country has never felt any pressure from the U.S. to withdraw from the Sakhalin oil and gas projects, according to Reuters.

“We intend to continue to hold the concessions in Sakhalin 1 and 2 projects as they are stable sources of long-term and inexpensive energy and are important to the lives of the Japanese citizens and business activities,” Koichi Hagiuda, Japan’s industry minister, told a news conference on Tuesday.

Russia and Japan both own stakes in the Sakhalin 1 and Sakhalin 2 integrated oil and gas development projects. Japan’s involvement has fallen under scrutiny since Russia invaded Ukraine and Western oil companies exited Russia.

“While ensuring a stable energy supply, Japan will work to reduce our dependence on Russian energy by diversifying energy sources, including renewable and nuclear power, and diversifying supply sources,” Hagiuda said, Reuters reported.

He also said the ministry was not aware of any Japanese companies being asked by Russian state-owned companies to pay in rubles for natural gas transactions.

— Chelsea Ong

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says that her government is working “urgently” to verify details of an alleged chemical weapons attack Monday on residents of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

“Reports that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on the people of Mariupol. We are working urgently with partners to verify details,” Truss tweeted.
 
“Any use of such weapons would be a callous escalation in this conflict and we will hold Putin and his regime to account,” she added.

The original report was a Telegram message posted by the Azov Regiment, an ultra-nationalist part of the Ukrainian National Guard. The Azov message said Russian forces used “a poisonous substance of unknown origin.” 

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the United States was also aware of the alleged attack.

“We cannot confirm at this time and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” he told reporters.

“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,” said Kirby.

U.S. officials have been warning for several days that the Russian army will continue to commit what they call “atrocities” as it doubles down on attacks in the eastern regions of Ukraine.

—- Christina Wilkie

Ukrainian soldiers are seen at a front line in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

— Anadolu Agency/Getty Images