On 6 August, the Russian troops conducted two strikes with rockets equipped with a poisonous substance, possibly chloropicrin, near Novodanylivka in Ukraine's south, according to the Commander of the Tavria Operational and Strategic Grouping of Troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Defense Express reports.
The Russians conducted the attacks to stop the advancement of the Ukrainian troops, violating "all possible international conventions that prohibit the use of chemical munitions," although the attack didn't result in civilian or military casualties, Defense Express says, referring to Tarnavskyi.
The official report does not detail the type of multiple rocket launcher the Russians used for this attack and, accordingly, the caliber of the missiles.
"It is worth emphasizing the fact that this is the first time the occupiers have used such powerful weapons with chemical munitions against our defenders. Until now, there have been repeated reports that the Russians have been using the same chloropicrin against our fighters at the front, but then it was mostly about grenades with K-51 chemical equipment as drone 'drops' or improvised devices of an undetermined type," Defense Express notes.
Read also:
- Russia uses chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers
- Ukrainian app Air Alert will warn of chemical and radiation hazards
- Russian chemical attack suspected on besieged Mariupol yet Russia’s blockade leaves no room for confirmation
