Ukraine collects tear gas grenades as evidence of Russia’s use of chemical weapons

• Wessel de Jong

  news reporter

• 

  Christiaan Paauwe

  correspondent Central and Eastern Europe

Ukrainian soldiers collect used tear gas canisters to prove that Russia uses chemical weapons. Soldiers at the front say the weapons have been used since the start of the war, but that Russia has increasingly used them in recent months. The Ukrainian army has shown the NOS two grenades that were allegedly recently taken from the trenches.

Soldier Dmytro (24) says he has already been bombarded with this type of tear gas grenades twice at the front in the Donbas. According to him, the first time was late in the evening at the end of February when they took shelter in a trench. “We heard a grenade fall, but instead of an explosion afterwards there was silence,” says Dmytro. Shortly afterwards they smelled the gas, and his unit quickly put on a gas mask. But Dmytro did take a breath. He immediately became short of breath, coughed, his eyes watered and parts of his body that were not protected by clothing, including his face, started burning.

Yesterday the US accused Russia of structurally using chemical weapons. The Russian army would, among other things, use the poisonous chloropicrin, a heavy type of tear gas that causes victims to have difficulty breathing and can cause burning eyes. Washington provided no evidence of this. In the statement, the US also said that Russia uses regular tear gas. Although tear gas is widely used by police during demonstrations worldwide, the Convention prohibits chemical weapons from being used in war situations.

As a specialist in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, Captain Kyrylo is also stationed at the front. He shows two grenades. One of them is an unused tear gas grenade from the Soviet era, which he says is ‘a trophy’ taken from the trenches. The other is a newer grenade produced in 2023. According to Kyrylo, it killed a Ukrainian frontline soldier. “He inhaled the gas and appeared to have an allergic reaction,” the officer said.

The use of these grenades is not an exception, but has become standard practice in Russia, according to Kyrylo. “They have a lot of it,” he says. The origin of the grenades cannot be independently verified by NOS. But experts have been warning about Russia using these types of weapons for some time. Earlier in the war there were accusations that Ukraine also used them, although there was no hard evidence of this. “I’ve never heard of that,” Kyrylo swears.

Kyrylo talks about the grenades that were found:

Ukrainian soldiers: ‘These are the chemical weapons that Russia uses’

Videos shared on Russian Telegram channels show the drone grenades being deployed over Ukrainian positions. Soldiers who are sheltering in the trenches or in bunkers are chased out with it, making them vulnerable and at risk of being killed. It makes the situation at the front considerably more difficult for Ukraine, Kyrylo knows. “That’s why we’re spending more and more time on protective measures, such as wearing gas masks.”

Anneleen van der Meer, lecturer in war studies at Leiden University, says that the Ukrainian allegations fit a pattern. “We’ve been hearing this since the start of the war, and in recent months we’ve seen the number of allegations increase.” According to the expert, the types of gas in the Russian grenades are heavier than the tear gas used in the Netherlands.

“It has been agreed that these types of substances are prohibited on the battlefield,” says Van der Meer. “Then it doesn’t matter whether it is a light chemical weapon or something very heavy. Whether it is a chlorine gas or a nerve agent, it is simply not allowed.” There has not yet been an official investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Kremlin denies that Russia uses chemical weapons.

Private Dmytro says that he has stuttered since the attack – although he cannot rule out that this is also due to a concussion – and that his condition is weak. He hopes to have further recovered before his wedding in a month’s time. “I wouldn’t wish anyone to experience such a chemical attack. But I will fight on because I can.”