Russia escalates use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, Kyiv says

Russian forces intensified their deployment of poisonous substances in combat operations, with multiple recent incidents reported specifically in the Kupiansk direction, Kharkiv Oblast, according to Ukrainian officials.

The Ministry of Defense reported that throughout the three-year war, Russian forces deployed ammunition containing hazardous chemical substances approximately 6,900 times, resulting in injuries to nearly 3,400 Ukrainian military personnel.

"Russia is effectively using prohibited chemical substances, violating all possible rules of warfare. They are ordinary terrorists, which they have always been," wrote Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.

Ukrainian military sources documented various prohibited munitions deployed by Russian forces in eastern regions, including phosphorus bombs, shells containing flechettes (small metal darts), and incendiary shells with thermite mixtures capable of reaching temperatures of approximately 3000°C.

In November 2024, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the use of prohibited CS tear gas against Ukrainian forces.

CS gas, commonly used for riot control, is banned in warfare under the 1925 Geneva Protocol. The gas is alleged to cause temporary incapacitation and panic among affected individuals.

​In March 2025, Ukrainian authorities charged Colonel Roman Shkroba, commander of Russia's 123rd Motorized Rifle Brigade, with war crimes for allegedly ordering the use of prohibited chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces in Donetsk Oblast.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that in 2023, Shkroba directed his troops to deploy K-51 and RG-Vo gas grenades, aiming to dislodge Ukrainian defenders near the village of Spirne. These chemical agents, including tear gas, are banned under international law when used in warfare.

This development follows the December 2024 assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's radiation, chemical, and biological defense forces, who was similarly implicated in chemical warfare violations.