Ukraine records 715 cases of Russia deploying hazardous substances on battlefield this May
In the past month, 715 cases were recorded where Russia applied ammunition containing hazardous chemical substances, which is 271 more than in the previous period.
That’s according to the Ukrainian Army’s Support Forces, Ukrinform reports
The main method of use is the release of K-51 and RG-VO grenades by UAVs.
In total, for the period from February 15, 2023 to May 24, 2024, a total of 2,698 cases of the use of hazardous substances were documented.
Also, during the specified period, 1,385 cases where Ukrainian servicemen reported to medical facilities with symptoms of chemical damage of various degrees of severity were recorded, of which 215 occurred in May alone.
The Support Forces noted that "throughout Russia’s large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, the enemy, along with using conventional firepower, employs special ammunition equipped with dangerous chemical substances, mainly CS (2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile)."
CS is a tear gas, often used by the police against street rioters.
Formally, CS is not listed as a chemical weapon and, according to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, Use of Chemical Weapons and Their Destruction of January 13, 1993, classifies as a "Riot Control Agent."
In the Convention, Paragraph 7 of Article II reads: “’Riot Control Agent’ means: Any chemical not listed in a Schedule, which can produce rapidly in humans sensory irritation or disabling physical effects which disappear within a short time following termination of exposure.”
Therefore, the claim that riot control agents, including CS substances, shall be perceived as chemical weapons, would be incorrect. However, the use of this gas amid hostilities is inadmissible in accordance with Paragraph 5 of Article II of the Convention, the Ukrainian military emphasized.
The use of chemical weapons or riot control agents as a means of warfare constitutes a violation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, eight nations are set to help Ukraine’s Defense Forces defend against Russian chemical and nuclear attacks.