U.S. accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine illegally

The United States accused Russia this week of illegally deploying chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine and announced the sanctioning of hundreds of individuals and entities tied to the weapons.

The State Department said that Russia violated the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act) by using the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.

Chloropicrin is a “choking agent” that was commonly used during World War I, The New York Times reported, and is banned from being used in war, according to the treaty that even Russia signed.

The State Department said that the use of the chemical weapons “is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield.”

The sanctions were being enacted against individuals and entities connected to Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs.

“The United States will continue to use the tools at its disposal to disrupt support for Russia’s military-industrial base and curtail Russia’s use of the international financial system to further its war against Ukraine,” the statement said. “We continue to stand in solidarity with Russians striving for a more democratic future and with Ukrainians defending their homeland from Russia’s aggression.”

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Ukraine has reported well over a thousand instances of suspected chemical attacks by Russian forces since Russia’s invasion more than 26 months ago.

The Times reported that the use of the illegal weapons has accelerated recently as Russia looks to break through lines and make rapid gains before long-awaited U.S. military assistance arrives on the frontlines which is expected to a significant boost for Ukraine.