The Public Relations Service of the Support Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has recently accused Russia of using chemical weapons in the ongoing conflict, with a significant total of 815 recorded attacks since the start of the large-scale war.
The Ukrainian forces allege that Russia has been utilizing ammunition equipped with poisonous chemical substances, specifically highlighting the use of grenades like K-51, RGR, and RG-Vo, which contain the hazardous chemical CS. The Ukraine intelligence units within the RHC have been responsible for carrying out sampling of soil, vegetation, and ammunition fragments. Following the collection of these samples, they undergo analysis, and documented instances involving the use of dangerous chemicals are submitted to investigative bodies as part of open criminal proceedings.
The spokesperson of the United Press Center of the Defense Forces of the Tavria Region, Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, shed more light on this matter at a press briefing last week. The Colonel reported that Russia continues to breach warfare customs by deploying ammunition that contains poisonous substances, citing five separate incidents prior to the day of his briefing.
On the other hand, in a statement released by the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands, Russia has strongly denied the use of chemical weapons. The statement highlights that all claims based on the employment of chloroacetophenone grenades (prohibited by the Geneva Convention) are founded on unverified data. Further, it was stressed that international investigations have established the absence of chemical weapons in the Russian army’s stockpiles.
The use of chemical and biological arms in warfare is sternly prohibited by international agreements. Specifically, the 1925 Geneva Protocol forbids the use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare. Additionally, since 1997, Russia has been a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the development, production, storage, and usage of chemical weapons.
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