Russia using weapons 'smuggled by Iran' in Ukraine | First Thing
Anti-tank missiles and RPGs are being supplied through undercover networks via Iraq, militia there say. Plus, how sonic pollution hurts marine life
Good morning.
Russia is receiving munitions and military hardware sourced from Iraq for its war effort in Ukraine with the help of Iranian weapons-smuggling networks, according to members of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and regional intelligence services with knowledge of the process.
Has phosphorus been used in Mariupol? Ukraine is checking unverified information that Russia may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol, Ukraine's deputy defence minister, Hanna Malyar, has said. There is a theory that these could be phosphorus munitions," she said.
What has the US said about this? The Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said he was aware of the reports but could not confirm them. 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 teargas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine," he said.
What else is happening? Here's what we know on day 48 of the invasion.
What are ghost guns? They are often assembled from kits, do not have serial numbers and are sold without background checks, making them easy to acquire and difficult to trace.
How many of them are there? It's hard to know but in 2021 there were about 20,000 suspected ghost guns reported to the ATF as having been recovered by law enforcement in criminal investigations - a tenfold increase from 2016, according to statistics shared by the White House.
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