Russia Using Chemical Weapons In Ukraine War, U.S. Says

The United States on Wednesday accused Russia of breaching the global ban on chemical weapons by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents as a method of warfare in Ukraine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

“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 State Department said in a statement, announcing new sanctions against entities linked to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Chloropicrin was used in large quantities during World War I, and is listed as a banned choking agent by the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

In addition to chloropicrin, Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN gasses, the Ukrainian military says. At least 500 Ukrainian soldiers have been treated for exposure to toxic substances and one was killed by suffocating on tear gas.

The State Department also determined that Russia has breached the CWC's prohibition on the use of riot control agents as a method of warfare. Washington moves on to sanction three Russian state entities linked to Moscow's chemical and biological weapons programs, including a specialized military unit that facilitated the use of chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.

Four Russian companies that support the three entities were also sanctioned by the State Department. Separately, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on three entities and two individuals involved in purchasing items for Russian military institutes involved in the country's chemical and biological weapons programs.