DISINFO: Chemical weapons “provocations” are being prepared by the Ukrainian Military
SUMMARY
Units of the neo-Nazi "Right Sector" and snipers from the 74th Reconnaissance Battalion and the SBU special unit "Alfa" have been moved to the contact line in Donbas to carry out provocations there. In late 2021, there was already a warning about provocations using chemicals that could be perpetrated by the Ukrainian military.
Avdeyevka, a city under Kyiv control a few kilometres from Donetsk, was not chosen at random here. As recently as the fall of 2021, several shipments of the nerve agent botulotoxin in containers ready to be fired or dropped in the format of 40-millimetre grenades were confirmed to Ukraine. At the end of the year, they were transferred to the localities of Krasny Liman and Avdeyevka.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about war in Ukraine combined with unfounded allegations about potential chemical weapons attacks in East Ukraine.
There is no evidence to support claims that the Ukrainian military is preparing acts of sabotage, let alone chemical weapons attacks in non-government controlled areas of Eastern Ukraine.
This claim appeared amid an ongoing disinformation campaign about Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border, in an attempt to deflect any Russian responsibility for the situation. These tensions are a result of Russia’s actions since late October 2021, including the deployment of more than 100,000 troops, as well as of certain specialised military units, electronic warfare systems and heavy-armoured vehicles. This has been substantiated by satellite images and intelligence from the US, Ukraine and NATO, among other countries and institutions.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that US private militaries are preparing a chemical attack in Donbas, or the West may resort to its old false flag method with a chemical attack in Donbas.
Read more about the common myths surrounding the current Russia-Ukraine conflict in our analysis here.