Military: Russian use of prohibited chemical weapons has become 'systemic'

The tendency of Russian troops to use munition with prohibited chemicals grows and has become "systemic," the command of Ukraine's Support Forces reported on April 5.

Ukrainian forces recorded 371 cases of usage of munition containing prohibited chemicals over the past month, which is 90 cases more than during the previous one.

For such attacks, Russia primarily uses K-51 and RG-VO grenades, which are delivered via drones, according to the Support Forces.

In total, Russian troops have used munitions with chemicals, which are banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, 1412 times over the past year.

"Such actions on the part of the Russian Federation are taking on systemic pattern, and this tendency only grows," the Support Forces' report said.

Earlier, Dmytro Lykhovyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria Group of forces, said on March 10 that Russian forces had dropped grenades with suffocating and tear gas from drones about 50 times over the week.

Russian naval infantry units have also been confirmed to have used prohibited chemical weapons in the village of Krynky, located 30 kilometers northeast of Kherson, the Institute for the Study of War said on Dec. 23.

The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons in war.

The Counteroffensive: Russia’s rising chemical weapons use in Ukraine

Editor’s Note: This article was published by the blog “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on March 22, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to “The Counteroffensive,” click here. Aahed Bakkora will never forget the night that birds began falling out…

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