As Ukraine reels from chemical attacks, torture and child abductions, Putin deepens the horror by recruiting foreign forces to join his bloody crusade, writesSue Arnold.

HELL ON EARTH is the only way to describe the horrors Russia is inflicting across Ukraine with terrifying bombardments of Kyiv. Combined with increasing use of chemical weapons, torture and fantasy peace talks, the nation is reeling, its citizens traumatised but determined to keep fighting.

Ive been in regular contact since the war began with a Ukrainian scientist who lives in Kyiv. In the past weeks, Russia has hit Kyiv with strike drones, ballistic and cruise missiles. These are the largestaerial attackssince the war began.

My friend and her family are completely exhausted, as are most Ukrainians. As if the war itself isnt completely intolerable, the dirty politics that are currently on stage, with PresidentDonald Trumpapparently cheesed off with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, create more fear as weapons paid for by Ukraine are suspended, reduced, or cancelled by the Trump Administration. No one can predict what will happen next.

Amid calls for peace and an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is stepping up his offensive campaign and expanding his military might.

European allies speak strongly against Putins dreadful bombing, destruction and death toll but remain on the sidelines, leaving Ukrainians to fight the war. With no relief for the countrys military, soldiers and civilians are fighting for months and months on end. At the same time, Putin persuaded North Korea to send 10,000 troops to assist Russia with promises of another 30,000.

According to theassessmentof Ukrainian officials, troops may arrive in Russia in the coming months.

The document notes:

Recentreportsindicate that Putin is attempting to involve more foreign countries in the war.

The Russian Federation, under the guise of humanitarian operations, is trying to legalise the presence of a foreign military contingent on its territory, actually using it to support combat operations against Ukraine.

According to theGRU, against the backdrop of losses at the front and a shortage of resources, Moscow is intensifying attempts to involve new foreign partners in the war under the guise of humanitarian missions. This time, it isLaos.

Having endured devastation by Russian forces for three years, Ukraine has seen its share of victims and political figures to blame for its devastating war.

The Kremlin is organising the arrival of a combined unit of engineering troops of the Lao Peoples Army to the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, ostensibly for demining. At the initial stage, it is about 50 Laotian servicemen-sappers.

Stories of the tortures inflicted on Ukrainian prisoners of war released in prisoner swaps are horrific.

A report onFacebookprovides details:

According to the UN, at least 91 per cent of such prisoners were subjected to torture. These are beatings, burning of tattoos and torture with injections. The film also talks about sexualised violence, simulations of executions. Witnesses who left the places of detention of persons opposing the conduct of the SVO talk about the torturous conditions in which the prisoners are made to stand all day, are woken up in the middle of the night, are collectively punished and are hardly fed.

All theliberated soldiersare privates and non-commissioned officers.A significant part of them were captured during thedefence of Mariupol. Now they are waiting for treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.

Each of the soldiers released today has serious medical diagnoses and illnesses due to injuries and captivity, the Coordination Headquarters reported.

Many of the soldiers have significant weight loss, dystrophy, ulcers, vision problems, musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular diseases and digestive problems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing grim decisions following a Ukrainian offensive that may result in him bombing his own citizens.

The released soldiers are the lucky ones. In the Russian Federation, there are no mechanisms or experience in liberating civilians from these camps.

Chemical attacks by Russia are impacting Ukrainian ground forces. In the Serebryany Forest,chemical attackson burrows have become more frequent.

A report from the53rd OMB, a Ukrainian brigade, details the impacts.

Says the grenade launcher of the 53rd OMB:

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion,Zaporizhzhia farmershave been going out to harvest in bulletproof vests and helmets. Now the war has reached a new level, and farmers have equipped their agricultural machinery with electronic warfare systems and are taking hunting rifles with them.

My friend says:

As the Israeli military visits death and destruction on Gaza, the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia enters its third year with a significant loss of focus by the international community.

According toThe Guardian, approximately 35,000 Ukrainian children are missing, either held in Russia or Russian-occupied territories. Russia has rejected demands for the children to be returned.

An unknown Ukrainian wrote these poignant words about the children who are growing up, knowing nothing but war. Children who spent a quarter of the school year and nights under shelling in shelters:

Sue Arnoldis an IA columnist and freelanceinvestigative journalist. You can follow Sue@koalacrisis.

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