Documenting over 10,000 chemical attacks by Russia on Ukraine

• The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has documented over 10,000 chemical attacks by Russia.
• The use of chemical weapons violates international law.
• The EU has imposed sanctions against Russian military officials for these crimes.

This was reported by RBC Ukraine, Ukrinform.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has documented more than 10,000 instances of the use of chemical weapons by Russian forces against the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war. According to information provided by the SBU press service, these attacks include the use of aerial chemical munitions K-51, RGR, and RG-Vo, which contain toxic substances, such as CS (chlorobenzylidene malononitrile) and CN (chloracetophenone).

Russian troops also frequently use munitions with toxic substances such as chlorine, which, when deployed against the positions of Ukrainian defenders, cause severe respiratory distress, especially in those with respiratory conditions. The primary goal of such attacks is to force Ukrainian troops to abandon their positions under fire from the enemy.

The SBU emphasizes that the majority of instances of the use of chemical weapons are documented in eastern Ukraine and during the attack on the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The use of chemical weapons is prohibited by the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which Russia has signed. However, the aggressor continues to systematically ignore these norms.

For the documentation of military crimes, the SBU has forwarded samples of physical evidence to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. Laboratory studies confirmed the use of toxic substances by Russian forces.

In response, the European Council has imposed sanctions against subdivisions of the Russian armed forces responsible for the development and use of chemical weapons, including military research, chemical, and biological defense.

The SBU is conducting judicial investigations in the framework of a criminal case under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (military crimes). In early 2024, in absentia, charges will be brought against General Lieutenant Ihor Kyrylov, who is responsible for the mass use of chemical weapons.

Tags: Ukraine/Russia/Crime