
Ukraine crisis( Europe Brief News): Ukrainian forces in Donetsk destroyed a Russian Grad MLRS reportedly loaded with chemical munitions, raising alarms over potential war crimes escalation.
Even though Russia is a signatory to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical and Biological Weapons, the unit cautioned that Russian forces might try to use chemical weapons once more in the future.
They claim that Russia still has sizable chemical weapons stockpiles in storage.
“Thanks to the efforts of drone operators from three different Defense Forces units, a Russian Grad system preparing for a salvo was successfully hit. In intercepted communications, Russian soldiers urged each other to hide and put on gas masks, saying the destroyed Grad was loaded with chemicals,”
the statement said.
Russian forces have been employing chemical agents on the battlefield in a methodical manner, according to a previous report from Ukraine‘s Defense Intelligence (HUR). Specifically, there have been an increasing number of incidents when the Russian military have used poisonous gas weapons in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Additionally, Russians have started targeting Ukrainians using poisoned kamikaze drones of the Shahed variety.
Additionally, Russian soldiers have been using hazardous payloads in frontline regions more frequently, according to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation. A number of these instances were reported in the direction of Kupiansk.
Reports from December of last year verified that Russian forces had used chemical weapons during the conflict with Ukraine. Over 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have apparently been exposed to chemicals since the full-scale invasion began.
HUR also issued a warning at the time about the potential use of Russian chemical weapons in areas of Zaporizhzhia that were temporarily under occupation.
Additional reports indicated that Russian troops had used chemical weapons close to Bakhmut.
Additionally, a report published by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) verified the existence of harmful compounds in samples taken from Dnipropetrovsk region conflict zones.
How might Ukraine’s destruction of chemical weapons influence international responses?
Ukraine may gain more international support if it can show that it is actively working to eliminate the threat of chemical weapons. This would validate its defense measures and encourage allies and international organizations like the OPCW to provide more political, military, and humanitarian assistance.
In order to confirm claims of chemical weapons use and guarantee adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the incident emphasizes the necessity of unbiased investigations by organizations like the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This can bolster the international standard against chemical weapons and offer reliable proof to refute misinformation.
Claims of chemical weapons have been often utilized by Russia as a propaganda tool and to defend escalations.