U.S. accuses Russia of using chemical weapons against Ukraine

The U.S. State Department accused Russia on May 1 of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow.

The U.S. State Department accused Russia on May 1 of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow.

In addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used “riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC,” the department said in a factsheet.

Also Read | Russia denies U.S. accusation of using chemical agent chloropicrin in Ukraine

“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” the State Department said.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s military and industrial capabilities — including targeting nearly 300 entities in Russia, China, and other countries accused of supporting President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

The sanctions are meant to punish companies that help Moscow acquire weapons for its war in Ukraine. They also target Russian government entities and companies involved in the country’s chemical and biological weapons programs.

In April 2022, for example, members of a nationalist group in Ukraine had written in a message group that a factory in Mariupol, a city around 800 km southeast of Kyiv, had released a “poisonous substance of unknown origin” into civilian-populated areas, leading to multiple reports of injuries.