The United States has accused Russia of breaching the global ban on chemical weapons by using the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian soldiers and deploying riot control agents “as a method of warfare” in Ukraine.
“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” the US Department of State said in a statement that also announced new sanctions against entities linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has said it no longer possesses a military chemical arsenal, but the country faces pressure for more transparency over its alleged use of toxic chemicals.
On Thursday, Russia denied the US accusation. “As always, such announcements are unfounded and are not supported by anything.
Russia has been and remains committed to its obligations under international law in this area,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
In addition to chloropicrin, Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN gasses, the Reuters news agency reported earlier this month, citing the Ukrainian military.
It said that at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers had been treated for exposure to toxic substances and one died after suffocating on tear gas.
