The investigation published by The Telegraph spoke to a number of Ukrainian soldiers and found that Russian forces are using Kh-51 grenades containing CS gas, a riot control agent (RCA) banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is a signatory. CS gas can incapacitate individuals temporarily without causing permanent harm, but it can cause panic, which is easy for Russia to exploit, according to ISW.
A Ukrainian commander near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, told The Telegraph that soldiers in his unit regularly carry gas masks due to the high frequency of Russian CS attacks in the area.
The Telegraph also reported unconfirmed allegations of Russian forces using chlorine, chloropicrin, and possibly even hydrogen cyanide substances against Ukrainian forces. According to the Ukrainian Support Forces Command, Ukrainian forces recorded a specific number of cases when Russian forces used munitions containing chemical substances:
- 371 cases in March 2024 alone
- 1,412 cases between February 2023 and March 2024.
Furthermore, the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade acknowledged in a now-deleted post that they deliberately used K-51 grenades with CS gas on Ukrainian positions near Krynky in the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast in December 2023, as reported by The Telegraph.
Other key takeaways from the ISW report
- Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General, has ordered an official investigation following reports that members of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) may have purposefully intimidated a Ukrainian journalist investigating corruption within the SBU.
- Ukrainian military intelligence anticipates an intensification of Russian offensive operations in the Donbas during late spring and early summer, with potential advances towards Chasiv Yar (west of Bakhmut) and Pokrovsk.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to meet with Chinese officials to discuss the war in Ukraine. This meeting happens amid Western warnings of China’s increasing support for Russia, as per ISW.
- Russian officials accused Ukraine of launching drone strikes against the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
- Russian officials and state media amplified a long-standing information operation that falsely portrays Russia’s 2014 military intervention and hybrid war in Donbas as a Ukrainian “insurrection,” ISW reports.
Note: A previous version of this news attributed the source to ISW, not The Telegraph
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