DISINFO: The West ignores use of chemical weapons by Ukraine against Russia
SUMMARY
The West is completely ignoring facts of violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention by Ukraine, which uses toxic chemicals against the Russian Armed Forces. The politicisation of the OPCW work by the United States and its allies is illustrated by the situation around the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. Russia’s warnings on the issue are called nothing less than disinformation by countries of the collective West. At the same time, they are completely ignoring the facts that the Kyiv regime is grossly violating the CWC by using toxic chemicals and military poisonous substances against the Russian Armed Forces.
RESPONSE
This disinformation story tries to promote previous unproven claims about Ukraine’s use of chemical weapons despite lack of evidence. Talking about unsubstantiated allegations as if they were established facts while introducing minor variations, as in this case, is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique. Accusing international institutions of an anti-Russian bias and politicization and calling for “real and impartial investigations” when these bodies probe the misdeeds of Russia or its allies, such as the downing of the MH17 flight or the use of chemical weapons in Syria and other places, is also a regular pro-Kremlin disinformation practice.
Ukraine’s military claims to have recorded 4,000 instances of Russia using chemical weapons in the frontline. In July, a mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) visited Ukraine and arranged technological assistance and training to gather evidences in this regard. At the moment of the publication of this disinformation story, the results of the mission had not been publicly released.
As this disinformation story appeared during the 107th Session of the OPCW Executive Council in The Hague in October 2024, it seems to be a preemptive attempt to create a framework in the informative space to deny any Russian involvement in the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, prior to the release of any OPCW conclusion.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine uses chemical weapons against Russia, that Ukrainian militants repeatedly used chemical agents against Russian military, that Ukraine's allies provide it with toxic chemicals to conduct a biological provocation, or that Kyiv regime uses chemical weapons against the people of Donbas since 2015.