OPCW finds traces of banned chemical in Ukraine

A toxic chemical was found in the village of Ilyinka in Dnipropetrovsk Region in Ukraine. This was reported in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on November 18.

"The OPCW report on the visit of a technical mission to Ukraine confirms the presence of the toxic chemical 2-chlorobenzylidene malonononitrile, known as CS, linked to an alleged incident that occurred... in Dnipropetrovsk region on September 20, 2024," the report says.

It is specified that experts from the technical secretariat worked on the site and collected eyewitness testimonies as well as three samples. Among them, the OPCW was handed over a grenade casing and two soil samples from the trench where the incident took place. According to the results of the analysis, the toxin found could have been used as part of "riot control agents."

The organization stressed that, according to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the use of such means is prohibited during combat operations.

Earlier, on November 11, the chairman of the International Public Tribunal on the crimes of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Maxim Grigoriev said that the AFU was testing nerve agents on civilians. He noted that such crimes are violations of the Geneva Conventions, "gross violations of the relevant protocols."

Before that, on October 9, Russia handed over to the OPCW the results of investigations into Ukraine's use of chemical weapons. The Russian ambassador to the organization, Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, Dmitriy Tarabrin, urged the Technical Secretariat and the OPCW member states to take the information seriously. According to him, Moscow regularly informs the organization about cases of Kiev's use of such weapons.

On October 7, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continued to systematically use various toxic chemicals against the Russian military, civilians and officials of civilian administrations.

Back in April, it became known that the AFU militants used chemical weapons near Kleshcheyevka on the Artemivka direction in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). According to the attackers of the Baikal brigade, ampoules in the form of a light bulb with the substance were dropped from drones.

In addition, on February 19, the head of radiation, chemical and biological protection troops Igor Kirillov said that the AFU regularly uses chemical substances against the Russian military. In particular, on December 28, 2023, American-made gas grenades filled with CS substance were dropped on the positions of Russian troops in the Krasnolimansk direction.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.