Is the WHO preparing for a nuclear war? Health agency publishes list of medicines for nations to stock

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its list of medicines to be stored for “radiological or nuclear emergencies”, a few hours after the EU warned that Russia “is at war with the West”.

The world health body issued guidance on how to survive a nuclear catastrophe in a new report today, warning against “intentional uses of radioactive materials with malicious intent.”

The report was published as the specter of nuclear war looms over the world after the West supplied state-of-the-art tanks to Ukraine to the fury of Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin accused NATO of “blatant provocation” and threatened “global catastrophe” in response to the deal.

And today, Stefano Sannino, secretary general of the European Union’s European External Action Service, said Putin had “passed from a concept of a special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West.”

The EU does not seek to escalate hostilities, but “simply provides the possibility to save lives and allow Ukrainians to defend (themselves) from these barbaric attacks,” Sannino said.

Dr. Maria Neira, WHO Acting Assistant Director-General, warned that many governments today are not prepared for a nuclear or radiation disaster.

She said: ‘In radiation emergencies, people can be exposed to radiation in doses ranging from negligible to life-threatening. Governments must make treatments available to those who need them, fast.

‘It is essential that governments are prepared to protect the health of populations and respond immediately to emergencies. This includes having ready supplies of life-saving drugs that will reduce risks and treat radiation injuries.’

The WHO highlights that a national stockpile typically includes PPE, trauma kits, fluids, antibiotics and pain relievers.

But the health body said: “However, many countries still lack essential elements of preparedness for radiation emergencies.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said today that the United States holds the key to ending the war in Ukraine, but refuses to use it.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Joe Biden of “throwing weapons into Ukraine” when he might instead be instigating a ceasefire.

Germany and the US announced Wednesday they will send advanced main battle tanks to Ukraine, offering what one expert called an “armored strike force” to help Kyiv break combat stalemates as the Russian invasion enters its 12th month. .

The announcement marked the first stage of a coordinated effort by the West to provide dozens of heavy weapons, which Ukrainian military commanders said would enable counteroffensives, reduce casualties and help restore dwindling ammunition supplies.

Joe Biden said his country will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks, reversing months of persistent arguments from Washington that they were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

The US decision followed Germany’s agreement to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stock.

In response, Russia has intensified attempts to breach Ukraine’s defenses with heavy fighting in the east of the country.

The Ukrainian military said fierce battles were taking place, a day after Russian missiles and drones killed at least 11 people in retaliation for the tank deal.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the allies for their support but renewed calls for tougher sanctions against Moscow and made clear his country needed more weapons to repel invaders in the 12th month of the war.

‘This evil, this Russian aggression can and must be stopped only with the right weapons. The terrorist state will not understand anything else,” Zelensky said in his late-night television address on Thursday.

‘Weapons on the battlefield. Weapons that protect our skies. New sanctions against Russia, that is, political and economic weapons.’

Ukraine’s military said it shot down 47 of 59 Russian missiles on Thursday. Russia also launched 37 airstrikes, 17 of them with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. All the drones were shot down, he said.

Eleven people were killed in the drone and missile strikes, which spanned several regions and also damaged dozens of buildings, a spokesman for the State Emergency Service said.

Local officials reported heavy shelling on Friday in northern, northeastern and eastern Ukraine, the scene of some of the most intense fighting since Russia launched its invasion.

Fierce fighting continues along the front lines. Our defenders are firmly holding their positions and inflicting losses on the enemy,” said Oleh Synehubov, governor of the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Oleksandr Musiyenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Military and Strategic Research, said Russia was sending more reinforcements to block Ukraine’s advances.

“They mostly send infantry and artillery forces into battle, made up mostly of conscripts. But they don’t have the level of artillery and tank support that they had on February 24,” Musiyenko told Ukrainian television.

‘They have fewer resources. They trust in the numerical superiority of their troops.

The front lines have remained largely frozen over the past two months, with Russia trying to gain more ground in the east after occupying much of what is known as the Donbas region and protecting a corridor of land it has occupied. in the south of Ukraine.

Britain said in a regular intelligence update on Friday that Russian forces had likely carried out probing attacks near Orikhiv in the southeast and at Vuhledar in the east, but were unlikely to have made “substantial progress.”

Both sides are widely expected to launch a spring offensive.

‘Where will the main (Russian) attack take place? For now, we have no idea. Diversionary attacks are possible in all sectors, and in one or two, massive attacks aimed at opening a corridor through Ukraine,” said Mykola Sunhurovskiy, director of military programs at the Ukraine Razumkov Center think tank. to the website nv.ua.

In the past, Russia has reacted to Ukraine’s successes with heavy airstrikes that have left millions without electricity, heat or water.

On Thursday, it seemed to follow that pattern. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia’s attacks were targeting power plants.

The Kremlin said it saw the promised delivery of Western tanks as evidence of the growing “direct involvement” of the United States and Europe in the war, something both deny.

The Western allies have committed some 150 tanks, while Ukraine has said it needs hundreds to break through Russian defensive lines and retake occupied territory in the south and east. Both Moscow and Kyiv, which have relied on Soviet-era T-72 tanks, are expected to mount new ground offensives in the spring.

After being promised modern tanks, Ukraine is now seeking Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the US F-16, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense ministry has said.

The United States on Thursday formally designated the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary company, as a transnational criminal organization, freezing its American assets for helping the Russian military in Ukraine.

The head of a Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region said Wednesday that Wagner units were advancing on the town of Bakhmut. A senior Ukrainian official said fighting in Bakhmut and Vuhledar was intensifying. Since it invaded Ukraine 11 months ago, Russia has shifted focus from its rhetoric of ‘denazifying’ and ‘demilitarizing’ its neighbor to confronting what it says is an aggressive and expansionist US. NATO led alliance.