Pro-Russian resources accuse the Armed Forces of Ukraine of preparing an alleged anti-Russian provocation using toxic military substances. At the same time, world structures will allegedly blame Russia for this - following the example of “false accusations of Russia in chemical attacks in Syria”. It's fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project investigated this case. In fact, Ukraine is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty that entered into force in the country in 1998. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been closely monitoring the state of Ukrainian chemical industries and any threats to use toxic chemicals as weapons in the country. Ukraine adheres to its international obligations on the non-use and non-proliferation of chemical weapons; this fact has been repeatedly confirmed by the OPCW, which operates under the auspices of the UN. All Russian accusations that Ukraine is preparing so-called “provocations” are cynical, and the narratives have no factual or evidentiary basis.

The statement about “falsely accusing Russia” of carrying out chemical attacks in Syria is also disinformation. Russian fakes on this topic have been repeatedly refuted by the world's leading experts on toxic chemicals, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Propagandists are once again trying to present Ukraine, which is defending itself from Russia, as an aggressor. Thus, they also want to justify the crimes of their own army in Ukraine, saying that Russia is resisting evil and has come to the neighboring country to “restore order”.

• Read also: The Ukrainian army allegedly used chemical weapons.