Russia Amps Up Application of Chemical Weapons in Ukraine Conflict
In a concerning development, Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Multiple intelligence agencies, including the Netherlands Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD), the Netherlands General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), and Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), have confirmed that Russia is systematically deploying a range of chemical weapons on a large scale in Ukraine.
One of the chemical agents being used is chloropicrin, a potent lung agent banned under the CWC due to its lethal potential in high concentrations, particularly in enclosed spaces. Chloropicrin, also known as trichloronitromethane, was marked with a green cross during World War I when it was used as a chemical warfare agent.
Evidence suggests that Russia often delivers these chemical weapons via drones dropped over Ukrainian trenches, causing severe effects such as intense coughing, choking, vomiting, and in some cases death. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans has stated that at least three Ukrainian deaths have been linked to chemical weapons, and over 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers have reported symptoms consistent with exposure.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has documented over 9,000 incidents of Russian chemical weapons use since the conflict began in February 2022, underscoring that this is not an isolated incident but part of a large-scale and systematic chemical weapons program by Russia.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has also confirmed the presence of riot control agents such as CS gas in the Dnipropetrovsk region along the frontline, based on independent laboratory analyses of samples collected from the battlefield. While CS is considered a riot control agent and not necessarily a weapon of mass destruction, its confirmed use further indicates chemical agents are being employed in the conflict.
Ukraine has reported over 9,700 cases between February 2023 and June 2025 of Russian troops using ammunition containing dangerous chemical warfare agents. The Ukrainian Minister of Defense claims that Russia has used chemical agents against Ukrainian troops over 9,000 times in its war of aggression.
The use of chloropicrin and other chemical weapons by Russian troops violates the Chemical Weapons Convention, which aims for a global ban on chemical weapons. The intelligence services have emphasized that the use of chloropicrin constitutes a serious breach of the CWC.
Russia's leadership and its radiological, chemical, and biological defense troops are actively supporting and promoting the prohibited use of chemical weapons. It is likely that the prohibited use of chemical weapons by Russia will continue to pose a threat. Russia is heavily investing in its chemical weapons program, expanding research in this field and recruiting new scientists.
This behavior has raised international alarm and calls for harsher sanctions, isolation of Russia, and continued support for Ukraine to counter this threat. The international community must take action to uphold the principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention and ensure that the use of chemical weapons is never tolerated.
- The escalating use of chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine, as seen with the use of chloropicrin, highlights the need for stronger policies and legislation against war-and-conflicts involving chemical agents.
- As the international community grapples with the political implications of Russia's systematic use of chemical weapons, general-news outlets are reporting on the specific chemicals used, such as chloropicrin and CS gas, and the severe effects they have on human health.
- In the face of evidence suggesting Russia's large-scale and systematic use of chemical weapons, both crime-and-justice and politics sectors are mobilizing to enforce harsher sanctions on Russia, underscoring the seriousness of these violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
