Tavria Joint Forces: Russia uses munitions with poisonous substances in southern Ukraine

Russian invaders are using munitions with poisonous substances in southern Ukrainian daily, says Tavria Joint Forces Spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovyi, according to UkrInform. Lykhovyi noted that on the Tavria front, drone use has now matched artillery in terms of deployment frequency. However, artillery strikes involve multiple munitions per attack, whereas drones drop only one.

"Daily, the enemy uses munitions with poisonous substances. Of the 536 munitions dropped by drones yesterday, 11 contained poisonous substances," Lykhovyi stated.

He explained that information about chemical weapon use is initially reported to support forces who investigate each case. This data is then passed on to international organizations. Previously, Ukraine presented detailed evidence to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons regarding Russia’s violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

Ukraine presents proof of Russian chemical warfare to international body

Ukraine has documented 3,201 cases of Russian forces using ammunition containing dangerous chemical substances between 15 February 2023 and 24 June 2024. Of these, 639 cases were recorded in the month leading up to 24 June 2024. The majority of these incidents involved K-51 and RG-VO gas grenades, which accounted for 31% of the cases. Read more: 

• US accuses Russia of using banned chemical weapon in Ukraine
• Reuters: Russia increases use of prohibited riot control agents against Ukrainian forces on battlefield
• The Telegraph: Russia uses prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine nearly daily
• ISW: Russia recycles disproven bio and chem weapons allegations against Kyiv to undermine Western support