EU to officially accuse Russia of combat use of chemical weapons in Ukraine
7 May 12:18
In the new sanctions regulations, the European Union will for the first time officially accuse Russia of using CS tear gas as a means of waging war against Ukraine. This was reported by the Sistema investigative project (together with Nashe Vremya and Radio Liberty), "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The basis for the accusations were reports by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), prepared at the request of Ukraine in November 2024 and February 2025. These documents documented the use of CS gas near the villages of Mariivka and Illinka in the Dnipro region. Experts found traces of the chemical in the soil and water, as well as documented testimonies from military personnel and photos of Russian RG-VO grenade shells designed to spray this type of gas.
The EU’s justification for the sanctions reads:
“Given the gravity of the situation, in the absence of a credible explanation from Russia for its widely documented use of tear gas agents, and to strengthen the global ban on the use of chemical weapons, the European Union calls on the OPCW to timely attribute the established use of such substances as a method of warfare.”
The EU sanctions list will include: The Russian Ministry of Defense’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, and the 27th and 33rd scientific centers related to the development and use of chemical agents.
CS is a tear gas, also known as “Lilac”. It causes severe irritation of the eyes, skin and respiratory tract: a person suffocates and loses orientation.
Formally, CS is considered a non-lethal means of suppressing riots and is used by police in many countries.
The use of such substances as a weapon is prohibited by Article 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, according to EU officials.
The United States has previously imposed sanctions on Russia for its use of chemical weapons, including the toxic chloropicrin. In response to the growing threat, in 2025, the EU introduced additional restrictions on the export of dual-use goods that can be used to produce CS gas.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in March 2025 alone, the CBRN units of the Support Forces recorded 767 cases of the aggressor’s use of ammunition containing hazardous compounds.
“Since February 2023, the use of hazardous chemicals by the Russians has become systematic, ignoring the norms and obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. Since then, a total of 7,730 such crimes have been recorded,” emphasized Colonel Valeriy Weber, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety.
