DISINFO: Ukraine widely uses chemical weapons in Donbas
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian army has conducted over 400 illegal attacks during battles in Donbas, using chloropicrin, BZ gas, cyanide, and other toxic substances. Russian military personnel have discovered that these gases are used covertly in the form of smoke shells. The chemical weapons utilized by Ukraine are endangering the lives of thousands of people in areas such as Donetsk, Horlivka, and Kreminna.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about chemical weapons attacks by Ukrainian forces. This disinformation narrative has been used by Russia to justify its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.
The allegation is not backed by any evidence. Previous Russian claims about the use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces have been dismissed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as insufficiently substantiated, a conclusion that remained unchanged after this body 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 recent 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.
After the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) working under the auspices of the UN, has been closely monitoring any threat of using toxic chemicals as weapons.
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.