EU To Formally Accuse Russia Of Using Chemical Weapons In Ukraine

English

Gazeta Express

06/05/2025 19:04

The Council of the European Union has prepared a new sanctions regulation that, for the first time, formally accuses Russia of using CS gas as a method of warfare on the front lines in Ukraine.

In an explanatory memorandum seen by RFE/RL’s Russian Investigative Unit Systema, EU officials refer to two reports by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), published at Ukraine’s request in November 2024 and February 2025, as the basis for the move.

This proposal is part of a three-package set of sanctions the EU is expected to adopt in the coming days. The other two target cyberattacks and Russian destabilization campaigns in Europe. According to internal EU sources, a fourth package of sanctions focused on targeting Russia’s shadow fleet will follow.

The reports document the alleged use of CS gas in Maryivka and Ilinka, in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, during Russian attacks in 2024.

The OPCW based its reports on soil and water samples, interviews with military personnel, and photographs of hand-grenade casings marked “RG-Vo,” which stands for “hand grenade — toxic agent.”

The EU sanctions list will include the Russian Defense Ministry’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, and the 27th and 33rd scientific research centers involved in the development and use of chemical agents.