The EU has targeted the Russian military institutions over chemical weapons in Ukraine. The EU Council has imposed sanctions on three Russian military entities for their involvement in the use of prohibited chemicals against Kyiv troops:
- The chemical and biological units of the armed forces
- The 27th Scientific Center
- The 33rd Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, chemical munitions have been used against Ukrainian forces more than 6,900 times.
This use of chemical weapons constitutes a violation of the laws of war and disregards international norms and obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The decision is based on reports by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which confirmed the use of CS gas and related compounds in combat in Ukraine.
“The EU calls for a timely attribution by the OPCW of the proven use of riot control agents as a method of warfare,” the EU Council statement says.
The sanctioned entities have had their assets frozen, are banned from receiving EU funding, and their representatives are barred from entering the EU. In total, 25 individuals and six organizations have been sanctioned under this measure.
The EU Council has also noted that Russia has failed to provide any credible explanation for the extensively documented use of such substances.
Last year, France24 published a report on Russia’s use of chemical agents in its war against Ukraine, highlighting chloropicrin, a choking and tear-inducing gas banned under international law. Notably, Russia was the first to use this gas in warfare during World War I in 1916, followed later by France and Germany.
