Russian propaganda continues a campaign of unfounded accusations against Ukraine over the alleged use of chemical weapons. Analysts from the Center for Countering Disinformation have drawn attention to this.

This time, Kyrylo Lysogorskyi, a representative of the Russian delegation to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly drop toxic substances from drones and “attack the civilian population of Russia”.

This is yet another fake with no evidence whatsoever. The OPCW and other international bodies have never recorded any cases of Ukraine using chemical weapons. Russia has been repeating these accusations for years, but each time it fails to provide samples, independent examinations, or even coordinates of the allegedly “affected” settlements.

On the contrary, it is Russian forces that systematically violate the Chemical Weapons Convention. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, hundreds of cases have been documented in which drones dropped grenades containing chloropicrin, tear gas, and other choking agents on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These facts have been confirmed by the OPCW, are being investigated as war crimes, and have become grounds for new sanctions against Russia.

When Russians drop chloropicrin, CS gas, K-51 grenades, and similar munitions on Ukrainian positions, they need a justification: “We weren’t the first – Ukraine started it”. This reduces the likelihood of a tough international response and new sanctions. The domestic audience hears: “Ukrainian Nazis are poisoning peaceful Russians with chemicals!” This fuels hatred and a willingness to fight “until everyone is destroyed”.

Russian propaganda is spreading yet another fake about the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Propagandists are trying to accuse Ukrainian troops of using toxic substances against civilians in Pokrovsk. The spread of this fake was recorded by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The CCD reports that a so-called “military expert”, Andriy Marochko, claimed that Ukrainian drones allegedly “sprayed a substance used to control rodents”, which, according to him, caused civilian deaths. However, this statement is a complete fabrication and yet another attempt to discredit the Ukrainian military.

Pro-Russian telegram channels claim that Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers carried out a chemical attack in the Kursk region due to the “impossibility of breaking through” Russian defenses. As propagandists write, the Ukrainian military used chemical weapons against Russian positions, violating international law.

However, this is another Russian fake, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation. Propagandists do not provide any real evidence indicating the veracity of this information. In addition, Ukraine is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention and strictly complies with its international obligations on the non-use and non-proliferation of chemical weapons. This fact has been repeatedly confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), operating under the auspices of the UN.

At the same time, it is the Russian so-called “military correspondents” (the same propagandists) who from time to time distribute videos showing the use of chemical weapons by Russian troops against Ukrainian positions, which is a war crime and an outright violation of the laws of war.

Such fakes are part of the Kremlin’s strategy regarding the information response to the events in the Kursk region. The head of the center, an officer of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, Andrii Kovalenko, spoke about this earlier.

The Russian propaganda media spread this thesis. Russia allegedly completed the destruction of toxic substances on September 27, 2017, as representatives of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons testified on the spot. The reports add that only one country currently has chemical weapons, the United States. However, it isn't true. Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case.

According to an experts' report, in September 2017, Russia destroyed a large stockpile of chemical weapons. As the OPCW testified at the time, these were only the remnants of declared stockpiles that Russia had been obliged to destroy since 2007 under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. Analysts explain that Russia not only possesses other undeclared stockpiles but has repeatedly used chemical weapons against its alleged enemies both in Russia and abroad. In particular, this is evidenced by the attacks on Oleksiy Navalnyy, former Russian spy Serhii Skrypal, and Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev. It is important that the attacks on Skrypal and Navalnyy took place after 2017, when Russia should no longer have chemical weapons.

At the same time, it's profitable for propagandists to claim that Russia doesn't have prohibited weapons and doesn't violate the Conventions that it has ratified. This way, Russia observes all the international rules and documents that declare a false and illusory impression of it.