Russia used chemical weapons over 10,000 times against Ukrainian defenders
Russian invaders most often use chemical weapons on the front with the help of FPV drones (Photo: General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces)
More than 10,000 chemical attacks by Russian forces have targeted Ukraine’s Defense Forces since the full-scale invasion, mostly involving chemical munitions dropped from FPV drones, the Security Service of Ukraine said on July 30.
Russian invaders have used K-51, RGR and RG-Vo aerosol grenades filled with toxic irritant chemicals — CS (chlorobenzylidene malononitrile) and CN (chloroacetophenone), Ukrainian officials said.
On the front line, troops have also recorded the use of ampoules containing chloropicrin, a poisonous substance banned under the 1993 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Russian troops most frequently deploy chemical weapons in eastern Ukraine and during attacks on the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
When these munitions are dropped, the chemicals target the mucous membranes of soldiers — primarily their eyes and respiratory tracts — forcing them out of trenches and shelters into direct fire, the SBU said.
The agency added that cases of Russian chemical weapons use are being documented in cooperation with an international organization in The Hague, where necessary laboratory tests were conducted. The organization confirmed the use of banned substances by Russian forces, prompting the EU Council to impose sanctions on Russian entities involved in the weapons’ production.
Ukrainian investigators continue a multi-episode criminal proceeding under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which covers war crimes, the SBU said.
On July 7, the United Kingdom announced new sanctions against Russia over its use of chemical weapons in the war against Ukraine.
A day later, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate released an intercepted phone call of Russian troops preparing a chemical attack on Ukrainian positions. In the recording, the soldiers openly discussed using banned substances and admitted to planning another war crime.
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