The United Kingdom announced on Tuesday (October 8) that it is imposing sanctions on the Russian Chemical Warfare Corps (RCBZ) and its commander, for dropping toxic choking gas over the battlefield in Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that Russia’s deployment of banned toxic agents is a “blatant disregard” for international law.
In May of this year, the United States accused Russia of dropping Chloropicrin on Ukrainian soldiers to “drive them out of defensive positions”.
Chloropicrin is an oily substance that was widely used in trenches during World War I, causing irritation to the eyes and skin, as well as vomiting and diarrhea.
According to the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention signed by Russia, Chloropicrin is classified as a prohibited chemical agent. The US also accused Russia of dropping tear gas on Ukrainian soldiers for crowd control purposes.
The British Foreign Office, in a statement on Tuesday, referred to Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Corps, as an “important mouthpiece of the Kremlin”, alleging that he helps spread lies about chemical weapons and covers up Russia’s actions.
Kirillov frequently appears on Russian television, accusing Ukraine of using chemical weapons. During Monday’s briefing at the Russian Defense Ministry, he claimed that Ukraine had dropped Chloropicrin on Russian soldiers and discovered a lab producing “toxic substances” near the occupied Ukrainian town of Avdivka.
Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Corps (RCBZ) is a large-scale weapons defense special forces unit of the Kremlin, responsible for maintaining its chemical weapons arsenal.
Lammy vowed to utilize all available means to combat Russia’s malicious use of chemical weapons.
(Some information in this article is based on reporting by The Guardian)