In December 2024 alone, Russian forces deployed chemical weapons in 434 separate battlefield incidents, according to a January 18th report from Ukraine’s General Staff. This brings the total recorded instances since February 2023 to 5,389, including the use of prohibited munitions like K-51 and RG-VO. These actions constitute a systemic violation of warfare rules, resulting in over 2,000 Ukrainian soldier hospitalizations and three deaths from chemical poisoning. Ukraine responded to these attacks by assassinating the head of Russia’s chemical defense troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov.
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Russia is increasingly using unidentified gas in its chemical warfare against Ukrainian troops, who are struggling to identify the majority of the chemicals used due to the lack of sophisticated detectors. Russian drones drop the gas grenades into trenches which forces Ukrainian soldiers out into the open fields, making them easy targets for drone or artillery attacks. In the 323 recorded incidents of chemical attacks by Russia in October, nearly all but 15 cases were unidentified. Ukraine has called for help from its Western allies to provide complex detectors to identify what chemical weapon is being used. The use of chemical agents, even if not lethal, on battlefields is considered a violation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
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John Q. Hosedrinker