DISINFO: Ukraine has chemical weapons supplied by the West and NATO
SUMMARY
Russia possesses more than 400 pieces of evidence confirming Kyiv's use of chemical weapons, including weapons from NATO. There were cases of chemical munitions being transported to Ukraine by train from Western countries.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about chemical weapons use by Ukrainian forces. This disinformation narrative has been used by Russia to justify its unprovoked and full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The unverified allegations about "chemical munitions being transported to Ukraine by train from Western countries" was not backed by any evidence. Also, no independent or credible international body, such as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has substantiated these accusations.
Previous Russian claims about the use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces have been dismissed by the OPCW as insufficiently substantiated, a conclusion that remained unchanged after the OPCW visited Ukraine in July 2024.
Pro-Kremlin outlets frequently spread unsubstantiated allegations with minor variations as a disinformation strategy. The goal of this and other similar disinformation claims, launched after Russia itself was accused of using chemical agents in the front-line in Ukraine, is to pre-emptively create a framework in the information space to deny any Russian wrongdoing.
In May 2024, the US Department of State accused Russia of using the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops, and brought sanctions against a number of Russian agencies and individuals in response.
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, that Kyiv regime uses chemical weapons against the people of Donbas since 2015, that Ukraine uses American chemical weapons in the war, and that Chemical weapons: OPCW is anti-Russian US puppet.