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- A precursor was introduced: Ukraine receives chemical weapons through mercenaries and Western intelligence services
A precursor was introduced: Ukraine receives chemical weapons through mercenaries and Western intelligence services
Kiev is being supplied with toxic substances through mercenaries and Western intelligence services, Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW, Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia. According to him, we are talking about large quantities of chemical protection products and substances such as BZ, CS and CR. Experts believe that the Ukrainian authorities may resort to provocations in the Donbas in order to regain the attention of the world community, which is now focused on the Middle East. Meanwhile, preparations are continuing for the visit of OPCW experts to Russia, the parties are resolving the legal and organizational aspects of the procedure, Tarabrin confirmed. Which countries are aiding Ukraine by developing its chemical program — in the Izvestia article.
How Ukraine gets chemical weapons
Mercenaries and Western special services are delivering toxic substances and chemical munitions to Ukraine, Vladimir Tarabrin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands, told Izvestia.
— We have repeatedly said within the walls of the OPCW that toxic substances, precursors and chemical munitions of foreign manufacture are imported into Ukraine by mercenaries and employees of the special services of Western countries. All the data we transmit is based on reliable materials and information received from the Russian Ministry of Defense," the diplomat stressed.
According to him, large quantities of personal protective equipment, chemicals and their precursors such as BZ, CS, CR and others are supplied to Ukraine. We are talking about tear gases, which cause loss of legal capacity, confusion, loss of orientation and memory for several days.
"The facts of the simultaneous supply of toxic chemicals and protective equipment against them may indicate plans to carry out large—scale provocations using toxic substances in the free zone," Tarabrin added.
The current escalation around Iran has attracted the attention of Washington, Brussels and other global players. Under these conditions, the Ukrainian conflict risks falling off the agenda — and Kiev is well aware that this means a reduction in military and financial support, Alisa Kazelko, a political scientist and expert at Valdai and Digoria, told Izvestia.
"A potential provocation tool could be the use of chemical weapons on positions recently secured by the Russian army, and then they can blame the Russian Federation for this," the expert noted.
Provocation with the use of chemical weapons, as the experience of the Syrian conflict shows, allows you to instantly shift global attention and create powerful pressure on the accused side, Nadezhda Kapustina, a professor at the Financial University, said in an interview with Izvestia.
— The most likely areas of such a provocation are densely populated territories near the line of contact. First of all, the cities of Donbass, as well as the border areas of Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions, Kapustina believes.
Political analyst Denis Denisov recalled that over the past few years, the Ukrainian leadership has shown a willingness to commit provocations of any kind. In particular, the Russian authorities have repeatedly warned about the risks of a dirty bomb explosion and the threat of nuclear charges being transferred to Kiev. The recent attacks on the logistics centers of the Russian Federation in the Leningrad region, as well as the undermining of the Nord Streams in 2022, can also be considered provocations.
Which countries supply chemical materials to Ukraine
It is important to understand that Ukraine's chemical program is developing with the active support of Western countries. In the summer of 2024, Izvestia wrote that the United States was supplying this country with a wide range of chemical weapons, some of which were actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. With the arrival of the Donald Trump administration in January 2025, the United States has muted its anti-Russian rhetoric, Vladimir Tarabrin previously reported.
In addition to Washington, Berlin is also involved in Ukraine's chemical program. Back in 2023, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Kiev had purchased a batch of triethanolamine and a nitrogenous sodium compound from Germany to create mustard gas. In addition, Albania and Bulgaria previously possessed chemical weapons stocks, from which Ukraine could purchase toxic substances.
Kiev also has the capacity to create its own toxic munitions. According to the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the OPCW, the Ukrainian authorities have deployed a network of chemical laboratories that produce toxic substances of general toxic effect and their means of delivery. Many chemicals used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are "mixed" in an artisanal way from improvised means — from the point of view of the CWC, their use is prohibited.
— It is not necessary to write off private military and commercial structures operating in the gray legal zone. Of particular concern is the fact that Western countries, declaring their commitment to nonproliferation standards, actually block any attempts by the international investigation of such incidents in the Ukrainian theater of military operations," Nadezhda Kapustina believes.
Since the beginning of its operation, more than 500 cases of Kiev using chemicals have been recorded, Major General Alexei Rtishchev, head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the Russian Armed Forces, said last summer. According to him, since the beginning of 2025, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been using UAVs on a regular basis to drop CS containers and homemade chloropicrin ammunition onto the positions of the Russian Armed Forces. In the liberated territories, the Russian military discovers caches of homemade bombs filled with toxins.
When will the OPCW experts visit Russia?
Last July, Russia asked the OPCW to send experts to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict zone. As the Russian permanent representative clarified at the time, technical assistance was required just after the discovery of sets of improvised explosive devices loaded with toxic chemicals in the territory liberated from Ukrainian militants. Previously, the OPCW had not seen the need to send experts to the region.
Active consultations are currently underway to coordinate all organizational, technical and legal aspects of the visit of experts from the OPCW technical secretariat to the Russian Federation, Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia.
— We believe that we will be able to come to a common denominator, resolve all existing issues, and the technical assistance visit will nevertheless take place. It is too early to talk about the composition of the OPCW expert team. First, we need to coordinate all the details," the diplomat stressed.
The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the organization also confirmed the readiness of Russia, its relevant services and specialists for an open, substantive dialogue on a professional and depoliticized basis.
The OPCW's mandate allows the technical secretariat to confirm or deny the use of toxic substances. But at the same time, he does not allow the organization to name the guilty party. However, the very fact of international verification of the use of chemical munitions will draw attention to this problem. Vladimir Tarabrin draws attention to the fact that "it is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia's opponents to maintain an information blockade around the true situation in their zone."
At the same time, the expert community points out that the OPCW has lost its status as an independent arbitrator and is drifting in the wake of Western politics. Alisa Kazelko stresses that Russia's request for an inspection is unlikely to change the balance of power, even if the visit is agreed. However, this is a chance to further convey Moscow's position to the Western audience.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
