DISINFO: Ukrainian Army uses US-supplied chemical weapons against Russian troops
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian security services attempted to use the US-supplied chemical agent BZ, banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to poison Russian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region.
It is only the latest instance of Ukrainian army and law enforcement structures using chemical weapons against Russia. Ukraine has repeatedly used such weapons against Russia since 2023, including one instance where a US-made CS grenade was dropped on Russian positions. Evidence of these crimes was ignored by the OPCW, an organisation effectively run by the United States.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukrainian Army attempts to use banned chemicals against Russian forces, aiming to advance a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about chemical weapons. The article also aims to discredit the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation.
There is no evidence that Ukraine has used chemical weapons during the war, started by Russia. Instead, this is an attempt to deflect responsibility away from Russia's actions, with many Western leaders having genuine concerns that Russia could use chemical weapons.
Ukraine's Armed Forces said they had never used chemical weapons anywhere at any time and have stated that Moscow is engaging in disinformation and using banned weapons.
There is ample evidence that the Russian military has repeatedly deployed banned chemical agents against Ukrainian personnel, including types which it subsequently accused Ukraine of using. In December 2023, members of the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade boasted about their use of drones to drop CWC-banned riot control grenades on Ukrainian troops. The brigade subsequently edited the post, likely realising it had just implicated itself in a war crime. Between February 2022 and January 2024, the Ukrainian military recorded 626 instances of chemical weapons use by the Russian side.
See similar cases such as Russia has evidence that Ukraine is using American-made chemical weapons and Ukraine's allies provide it with toxic chemicals to conduct a biological provocation.