The international community is on alert as the United States formally accuses Russia of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by using chemical weapons in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to a U.S. State Department statement, Russia deployed chloropicrin, a choking agent, to displace Ukrainian forces from fortified positions, seeking tactical battlefield advantages. This action has led to the imposition of new sanctions targeting Russian entities and individuals.
Chloropicrin, historically utilized during World War I as a chemical warfare agent, is banned under the 1993 CWC, a treaty ratified by 193 countries, including Russia and the U.S. This compound causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin, and lungs, presenting significant risks to those exposed. The U.S. has further assessed that Russia has employed “riot control agents,” such as tear gas, also in contravention of the CWC.
This is not an isolated incident, as the State Department emphasizes, but appears to be part of a broader pattern of behavior that also encompasses the operations leading to the poisoning of Aleksey Navalny and Sergei and Yulia Skripal with Novichok nerve agents. Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, responded to the sanctions by decrying them as Russophobic actions that would further alienate other states and cast doubt on America’s role in the world.
In addition to chloropicrin, Russian forces have reportedly utilized grenades loaded with CS and CN gases, which have led to the treatment of at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers for exposure to toxic substances. One soldier has died due to suffocation on tear gas, according to reports.
The implications of these accusations are severe, with the U.S. responding by sanctioning three Russian state entities linked to the nation’s chemical and biological weapons programs and four Russian companies providing support. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on three entities and two individuals involved in procuring items for Russian military institutes associated with these programs.
These sanctions are a part of a wider set of nearly 300 new measures targeting entities in multiple countries that support Russia’s war in Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies have previously warned of severe consequences for the use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons in the conflict, reaffirming their stance against the breach of international law.
Relevant articles:
– Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine, US says, POLITICO Europe, 05/02/2024
– US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine war, Al Jazeera English, 05/02/2024
– U.S. accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine, in breach of global ban, CNBC, 05/02/2024
– US says Russia used choking agents against Ukrainian troops, breaching chemical weapons ban, CNN, 05/02/2024