Russia violating rules of warfare, using banned toxic chemicals in combat - ambassador
Ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands Oleksandr Karasevych says Ukraine is exposed to various threats from Russia as its invasion troops continue to use against Ukraine’s forces toxic chemicals prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The diplomat said this during his speech at the 105th session of the OPCW Executive Council, according to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.
The Russian Federation consistently and constantly violates the rules of warfare and continues to use against the Armed Forces of Ukraine toxic chemicals prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention," he said.
The ambassador also noted that the Russian armed forces are rapidly increasing the volume and expanding the geography of the use of toxic chemicals against Ukraine’s defense forces in violation of the Convention.
In 2024 alone, Ukraine recorded 346 cases where toxic chemicals were used, which is equivalent to six violations of the Convention by the Russian Federation per day. The enemy sees the use of chemical weapons as a means of achieving tactical advantage and demoralizing the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The purpose of its use is to subject soldiers to toxic chemicals and dislodge them from fortified positions, the ambassador explained.
According to him, as of March 1, reports of 1,060 cases where Russia used chemical substances were being probed. Due to ongoing hostilities, only 72 facts of such use have been confirmed so far.
The main delivery platform for ammunition equipped with dangerous chemical substances are UAVs dropping gas grenades of the K-51 type (71%).
As of February 2024, 946 cases where medical aid was provided to Ukrainian servicemen with poisoning by an unknown substance in combat areas have been registered in health care institutions across Ukraine, the envoy emphasized.
Karasevych said Ukraine believes that the documented cases and requests for medical assistance by Ukrainian servicemen are evidence of systematic and gross violation of the provisions of the Convention by the aggressor state.
Ukraine is investigating the circumstances of the use by Russia during hostilities of combat poisons, toxic and other dangerous substances, prohibited by international law, including the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
The Ukrainian authorities are actively collecting evidence related to Russia's violations of the Convention and will provide the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and member states with information on the progress of the inquiry in the due manner.
As reported by Ukrinform, Russia lost its seat in the Executive Council of the OPCW.
According to the voting held during the 28th Conference of OPCW member states from the Eastern European group, seats in the Executive Council were awarded to Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.