The U.S. State Department has accused Russia of using chemical weapons during its invasion of Ukraine, resulting in sanctions being issued by the Treasury Department related to Moscow’s alleged chemical and biological warfare programs. Over 280 individuals and entities were sanctioned for Russia’s “foreign aggression and internal repression,” including three Russian government agencies and four businesses. Russia is accused of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty that has banned the manufacturing and use of chemical weapons in war for decades. Russian forces in Ukraine are specifically accused of using the chemical chloropicrin, as well as CS and CN “riot control” gases, according to the State Department.
The State Department’s release states that Russia has violated the Chemical Weapons Convention by using the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian forces, as well as riot control agents as a method of warfare in Ukraine. The alleged chemical weapons use is believed to be aimed at dislodging Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieving tactical gains on the battlefield. Russia has denied responsibility for previous poisonings using the Novichok nerve agent, such as those of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020 and Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in 2018. The U.S. and other nations imposed sanctions related to those incidents.
In addition to accusations of chemical weapons use in Ukraine, the State Department has also sanctioned three Russian prison officials who are believed to be involved in the death of Navalny in prison earlier this year. Reports of Russia’s purported chemical weapons use in Ukraine have been surfacing since the early days of the war, with incidents such as traces of sarin and other chemical weapons being left behind by Russian forces during a brief occupation, and the use of nerve agents in the region of Kherson. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of using grenades with chloropicrin on the battlefield as well.
The U.S. government’s accusations of Russia’s chemical weapons use in Ukraine come from the same playbook as the poisonings of Navalny and the Skripals, with the use of Novichok nerve agent. While Russia denies responsibility for these incidents, most international observers attribute them to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The State Department’s sanctions are aimed at holding Russia accountable for its alleged chemical weapons use, with the latest actions targeting individuals and entities involved in Moscow’s chemical and biological warfare programs. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine continues to see accusations of chemical weapons use by Russian forces, adding to the complexity of the situation.
