EVIL Vladimir Putin could unleash horrifying chemical weapons as he "tightens the noose" on Ukraine, Western officials fear.
Allies have "serious concern" the murderous tyrant could sink even lower by using terrifying toxins like mustard gas on civilians.
It would mirror the appalling suffering witnessed during the bloody Syrian civil war when Putin pal Bashar al-Assad weaponised sarin and chlorine.
A Western official said this afternoon: "We've got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons.
"Partly because we've seen what has happened in other theatres for example in Syria… so it's it's a serious concern for us."
The Kremlin bankrolled the Syrian despot as he butchered civilians with chemical weapons over several years.
Weaponising nerve agents and poisonous gas is a war crime and would further build the case to try Putin at The Hague.
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Boris Johnson believes the threshold has already been met after fleeing families were bombed during a Russian "ceasefire".
Ukrainian officials today claimed Russian air strikes bombed a maternity and kids hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol.
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The PM said "there are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless".
While Putin's invasion is not going to plan, they were braced for Russian troops to blitz Kyiv imminently with enormous firepower.
An official said: "Around Kyiv, they are continuing to tighten the noose. I think they are re-posturing and learning lessons of what's happened so far.
"So this is kind of definitely not over. They are still set on moving in. We are reasonably confident it will be absolutely horrific when they do."
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