“A terrifying situation” Fears of an escalation of the attack and the use of chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine

The United Nations warned that the humanitarian situation "continues to deteriorate at horrific levels in Ukraine", amid expectations of US intelligence that Putin will not retreat from his military operations and escalate his attack, while Britain expressed concern over the possibility of Russia using chemical weapons.

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Hines said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not back down" from his military operations in Ukraine and "will escalate his offensive."

"The Russian forces are showing reckless indifference towards Ukrainian civilians, and Putin will escalate his attacks despite all the measures taken against him," she added, in statements reported by the American "Al-Hurra" channel.

She added that Moscow "underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian resistance," noting that the resistance "deprived Moscow of achieving a quick victory" in Ukraine.

Evacuating civilians

More than 400,000 civilians have been evacuated so far in Ukraine, most of them from active fighting hotspots, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastirsky told state television Thursday.

"The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate at alarming levels in Ukraine, as the number of internally displaced persons since the start of the Russian military offensive has reached 1.9 million, while more than 2.3 million refugees have crossed the borders of Ukraine," said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General.

Dujarric added, "Safe corridors must be provided for humanitarian aid and a sustainable communication system must be established with both parties to the conflict to deliver that aid."

Concerns about the use of chemical weapons

Britain is very concerned about the possibility of Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told CNN, warning that using them would be a "fatal mistake" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We are very concerned about the potential use of chemical weapons. We've seen Russia use these weapons before in conflict arenas, but that would be a huge mistake on top of the huge mistakes Putin is already making," she added.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tough" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.

UN: Russia destroyed 3 children's hospitals in Ukraine

The representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, Jaime Nadal, said that two other maternity hospitals were attacked and destroyed in Ukraine before the Russian bombing of the Children's and Maternity Hospital in the city of Mariupol.

The representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine Jaime Nadal said Thursday that two other maternity hospitals were attacked and destroyed in Ukraine before the Russian bombing of the Children's and Maternity Hospital in the city of Mariupol.

The official stated during a video interview that the Mariupol hospital "is not the only one, in Zhytomyr the maternity hospital was completely destroyed, in Saltyevsky, and in the city of Kharkiv the maternity hospital was destroyed as well," but he was unable to determine who was behind the bombing and whether it caused any injuries.

Jaime Nadal added that Ukraine has "69 centers for maternity and antenatal care," noting that the United Nations Population Fund "estimates the number of pregnant women who will give birth in Ukraine in the next three months at 80,000."

The official indicated that in Ukraine, about 240,000 pregnant women, while 4,311 women gave birth, since the start of the attack on February 24 until March 7.

The Russian bombing of the Children's and Maternity Hospital in Mariupol killed three people, including a girl, according to the municipal council of the strategic coastal city, and a previous report on Wednesday indicated that 17 people were injured.

The attack on this hospital drew condemnation from the Ukrainian authorities and Western countries.

Putin warns the West: Russia will emerge stronger from the Ukrainian crisis

LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia will eventually emerge from the Ukraine crisis stronger and more independent after overcoming difficulties caused by what he called illegal Western sanctions .

Putin added that there was no alternative to what Russia calls the "special military operation" it launched last month in Ukraine and that Russia is not a country that can accept infringement of its sovereignty for short-term economic gain .

"These sanctions would have been imposed anyway," he said at a meeting of the Russian government. "There are some problems and difficulties, but we have overcome them in the past and we will overcome them."(Reuters)