Ukraine brings evidence of Russia’s violations to chemical weapons watchdog

Ukraine provided the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons with highly detailed and fact-based evidence of the Russian Federation's flagrant disregard for the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

Oleksandr Karasevych, the OPCW's permanent representative for Ukraine in The Hague, informed Ukrinform about this.

"At the site of the OPCW, Ukraine presented detailed and factual information about gross violations by Russia of the provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," he said.

During the 106th session of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ukraine's delegation presented factual evidence of violations by the aggressor state of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

In his speech, the permanent representative of Ukraine at the OPCW, Oleksandr Karasevych, emphasized the increase in the number of cases and types of chemical weapons, in particular, chemical means of fighting riots as a method of warfare, which Russia continues to use against the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine in violation of Article 1 of the Convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons.

During the specific time frame of February 15, 2023, to June 24, 2024, a total of 3,201 instances where the enemy used ammunition containing hazardous chemical substances were officially documented. Out of these, from May 25 to June 24, 2024, there were 639 recorded cases, with K-51 and RG-VO gas grenades accounting for 31%. In total, there were 1,945 reports of military personnel seeking medical assistance for various degrees of chemical-related injuries.

Competent authorities of Ukraine recorded deaths from acute poisoning by an unknown chemical substance.

Most of the munitions (82%) that were used were hand gas grenades of the K-51 and RG-B0 type (31% in June 2024), which are anti-riot devices and prohibited for use as means of warfare.

The permanent representative also informed about Russia's utilization of hazardous chemical materials against units of the National Guard of Ukraine throughout the entire front line. Particularly, there has been a significant concentration of chemical ammunition use in the Zaporozhzhia region.

Thus, during 2023, 113 cases of use of dangerous chemicals were recorded, and during the first half of 2024 – 978 cases. The aggressor state mainly uses Soviet K-51 remote-action gas hand grenades, RGR hand grenades with an irritating effect, equipped with the poisonous substance СС or chlorpicrin, as well as chemical hand grenades RG-Во, equipped with the poisonous substance, namely chloroacetophenone, which are used by the method of dropping from unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, for the period from 2022 to the present, 83 servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine sought medical help in the area of ​​hostilities with signs of damage by chemical substances.

Starting February 24, 2022, the Russian armed forces will utilize chemicals during conflicts with the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces, specifically to engage in warfare. These chemicals are designed to rapidly induce sensory irritation or physical discomfort in humans, which will dissipate shortly after the activity ends. This includes the use of chloroacetophenone. 

Also, Oleksandr Karasevych separately emphasized the importance, exposure, and countermeasures of Russian disinformation campaigns launched against Ukraine, in particular, on the OPCW site.

In support of Ukraine's position, a large part of the delegations of the member countries of the Executive Council of the OPCW came forward.

The unifying element of the speeches of friendly countries was the condemnation of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the facts of the use of chemical weapons and chemical means of fighting riots by the aggressor state as a form of warfare against Ukrainian defenders in violation of paragraph 5 of Article 1 of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as well as the importance bringing the Russian Federation to justice.

"War crimes and crimes against humanity do not have a statute of limitations. Ukraine will make every effort to bring Russia to justice using the tools of the OPCW," Karasevych emphasized.

For reference:

Russia has been removed from the OPCW Executive Council. After a vote by the Eastern European group at the 28th conference of the organization's member states, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine were elected to fill the seats on the executive board previously held by Russia.

It should be noted that the Ukrainian military, repelling Russian aggression in the Zaporizhzhia region, faced a new threat – the use of poison gas as a weapon by the occupiers.

A Ukrainian intelligence official said on condition of anonymity that the Russians use a type of chloroacetophenone tear gas, which is used during mass riots and can temporarily incapacitate a person by irritating the eyes, nose, lungs, and skin.

It is noted that the UN Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons prohibits the use of means of combating mass unrest during war.