Russia uses chemical asphyxiating agents in Ukraine, says US

The United States has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons as a “method of warfare” in Ukraine, in violation of international laws that prohibit their use.

State Department officials said Russia used the asphyxiating agent chloropicrin to achieve “battlefield gains” over Ukraine.

The allegations, which US officials said were not an “isolated” incident, would contravene the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which Russia signed.

A Kremlin spokesman rejected the allegations, calling them “baseless.”

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov said Russia fulfilled its obligations under the CWC, which prohibits states from developing or acquiring new weapons. Some 193 states have ratified the convention.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a global watchdog that oversees implementation of the CWC, says a chemical weapon is a substance used to intentionally cause death or harm through its toxic properties.

Chloropicrin, which the United States says Russia has used to “dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions,” is an oily substance that was widely used during World War I. It causes irritation of the lungs, eyes and skin and can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhea, according to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The use of this chemical in warfare is expressly prohibited by the CWC and is listed as a choking agent by the OPCW.

The State Department also said Moscow has regularly used “riot agents” or tear gas during the war.

President Joe Biden previously warned Russia against deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine. In March 2022, just weeks after Moscow launched its invasion, Biden promised that President Vladimir Putin would pay a “severe price” if he authorized the use of chemical weapons.

“We would respond if you use it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use,” Biden said.

But there have been consistent reports that Moscow has ignored that warning. US Undersecretary for Arms Control Mallory Stewart has previously said Russia was using riot control agents in the conflict.

And Ukraine says its troops have faced increasing chemical attacks in recent months. The Reuters news agency reported earlier this year that Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN tear gas.

The report adds that at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers have been treated for exposure to toxic gases and that one of them died after being asphyxiated by tear gas.

Three Russian organizations linked to the country’s biological and chemical weapons program were sanctioned by the State Department for their links to the production of chemical agents. Other companies that contributed to government entities were also sanctioned.

In 2017, the OPCW said Russia had destroyed the last stockpile of Cold War-era weapons, as required by the CWC.

But Moscow has since been accused of making incomplete statements about its reserves, according to the UK House of Commons library.

Since 2017, Russia has been accused of at least two chemical attacks: the Salisbury attack on a former Soviet intelligence officer and the 2020 poisoning of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The indictments are part of a broader tranche of US sanctions targeting 30 people, including three people who officials say were involved in Navalny’s death.

All of the men are officials at the Siberian penal colony where the opposition activist was murdered earlier this year. Russia denies involvement in opposition leader’s death.

Meanwhile, Russian forces in eastern Ukraine have continued their steady advance ahead of the country’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, the holiday commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II.

Much of the fighting has occurred around Chasiv Yar, a kyiv-controlled stronghold that Russia has been trying to reach after seizing the town of Avdiivka. Moscow is believed to want to take over the city before next week’s celebrations.

It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the head of the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) cybersecurity department, Illya Vityuk, amid accusations that he attempted to use his position to punish a Ukrainian journalist who had reported on corruption allegations. against him.

The journalist was subsequently summoned to a military recruitment center, prompting military chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi to launch an investigation.

Separately, Human Rights Watch – a non-governmental organization – has called for an investigation into war crimes after uncovering evidence that Russian forces executed more than a dozen surrendering Ukrainian troops. The events allegedly occurred between December 2023 and February 2024, the agency said in a statement.