Explaining: 1000 days of full-scale war, strengthening of Russia sanctions, Russia using chemical weapons

The Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security pursues efforts to provide a brief explanation to foreign audiences on the current topics of particular interest as regards Ukraine.

1000 DAYS OF FULL-SCALE WAR

November 19 marks the 1,000th day of the full-scale war and the 3,925th day since the start of Russia's armed aggression.

● Over these 1,000 days, Ukraine has definitively proven to the world that its independence is not a historical accident but a fact that has shattered Moscow's imperial revanchism.

● Ukraine has destroyed the myth of the “invincible second army of the world” by liberating more than half of the territories occupied since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.

● Ukraine has proven that it can grow and improve not only in times of peace but also during war, advancing on its path toward EU and NATO membership.

● Ukraine has become a cornerstone of security not only in Europe but also in other regions of the world as Moscow works to establish an international "axis of evil" (Moscow - Pyongyang - Tehran).

● Ukraine is doing everything to achieve a stable and just peace, not a temporary "freezing of the conflict" on the aggressor terms.

STRENGTHENING ENERGY SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA

On November 18, the Yermak-McFaul International Sanctions Group released a new working document titled "Next Steps on Energy Sanctions: Tools for Increasing Pressure on Russia in 2025."

● The Yermak-McFaul Sanctions Group is an international working group of independent experts on sanctions against Russia, initiated by Volodymyr Zelensky.

● Ukraine urges to strengthen control over the enforcement of the price cap on Russian oil, the revenues from which allow Putin to finance the war effort.

● The Yermak-McFaul Group insists on adding more tankers from the "shadow fleet" to the sanctions lists, as they help Moscow circumvent oil export restrictions.

● The European Union must fully overcome its dependence on imports of oil, gas, and petroleum products from Russia, as well as from third countries that supply Russian raw materials.

● Kyiv calls for sanctions against "Rosatom" to ensure that the EU and the US eliminate their dependence on Russian nuclear fuel.

RUSSIA IS USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS

On November 18, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) published a report on the use of banned chemical substances by Russia on the battlefield

● The OPCW confirms that the evidence provided by Ukraine indicates the production and systematic use of hazardous chemical substances by Russia on the battlefield

● From February 2023 to October 2024, more than 4,600 cases of Russia using munitions containing hazardous chemical substances have been documented.

● These actions by the aggressor constitute a severe violation of Article 1, Paragraph 5 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons, as well as their destruction.

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasises that Russia has no moral right to be part of the governing bodies of the OPCW Executive Council.

● Russia's demonstrative criminal actions during the war against Ukraine indicate Moscow's intention to destroy the system of international law