The US has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine, violating international laws banning their use. State Department officials claim Russia used chloropicrin as a “method of warfare” to gain an advantage over Ukraine. Chloropicrin is a choking agent that causes irritation of the lungs, eyes, and skin, and it is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia denies the accusations, stating they are baseless and that they comply with the CWC. President Joe Biden has warned Russia against using chemical weapons, but there have been reports of chemical attacks on Ukrainian troops by Russian forces.
The US has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine, violating international laws banning their use. State Department officials claim Russia used chloropicrin as a “method of warfare” to gain an advantage over Ukraine. Chloropicrin is a choking agent that causes irritation of the lungs, eyes, and skin, and it is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia denies the accusations, stating they are baseless and that they comply with the CWC. President Joe Biden has warned Russia against using chemical weapons, but there have been reports of chemical attacks on Ukrainian troops by Russian forces.
The use of chemical weapons in war is a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Russia has signed. The US claims that Russia used chloropicrin, a substance banned under the CWC, to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions. There have also been reports of Russian forces using tear gas in the conflict. President Joe Biden has previously warned Russia against deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine, threatening a severe response if they are used. Despite these warnings, there have been consistent reports of chemical attacks on Ukrainian soldiers by Russian forces.
Russian forces in eastern Ukraine have continued their advance ahead of the country’s Victory Day celebrations on 9 May. The fighting has intensified around Chasiv Yar, a Kyiv-controlled stronghold that Russia is attempting to seize after capturing the city of Avdiivka. These actions come amid reports of human rights violations, including the execution of surrendering Ukrainian troops by Russian forces. Human Rights Watch has called for a war crimes investigation into these allegations, which date back to December 2023 and February 2024. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the head of Ukraine’s Security Service’s cyber-security department amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Russia has been accused of using chemical weapons in violation of international laws banning their use. The US alleges that Russia used chloropicrin, a choking agent, to gain an advantage over Ukrainian forces. Despite denials from the Kremlin, the US has imposed sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Russia’s biological and chemical weapons program. The OPCW confirmed that Russia had destroyed its Cold War-era stockpile of chemical weapons in 2017, but there have been accusations of incomplete declarations of Russia’s stockpile since then. The use of chemical weapons in war is a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits states from developing or acquiring new weapons.
The allegations of chemical weapons use in Ukraine come amid ongoing conflict in the region, with Russian forces advancing on key strategic locations. President Joe Biden has warned Russia against using chemical weapons, but there have been reports of chemical attacks on Ukrainian troops. Human Rights Watch has called for a war crimes investigation into allegations of executions of surrendering Ukrainian troops by Russian forces. The international community continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine closely, with concerns over the use of banned weapons and human rights abuses.
