This was reported by the investigative project “Sistema” (together with “Nastyoshasheye Vremya” and Radio Liberty), Ukrainian Kommersant reports.
The basis for the accusations were the reports of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), prepared at the request of Ukraine in November 2024 and February 2025. These documents recorded the facts of the use of CS gas near the villages of Maryivka and Ilyinka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Experts found traces of the chemical in the soil and water, and also documented the testimonies of servicemen and photos of the bodies of russian RG-VO grenades designed to spray this type of gas.
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The EU explanatory memorandum reads:
"In light of the seriousness of the situation, in absence of a credible explanation from russia regarding its widely reported use of riot control agents, and to enhance the global norm against the use of chemical weapons, the European Union calls for a timely attribution of the proven use of riot control agents as a method of warfare by the OPCW."
The EU sanctions list will include: the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops of the russian Ministry of Defense, 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 in service with the police in many countries.
The use of such substances as weapons is prohibited by Article 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, EU officials say.
The United States has previously imposed sanctions on russia for its use of chemical weapons, in particular the more toxic chloropicrin. In response to the growing threat, the EU in 2025 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 Support Forces’ CBRN intelligence units recorded 767 cases of the aggressor’s use of munitions containing dangerous compounds.
“Since February 2023, the use of dangerous chemicals by the russians has become systemic, they ignore the norms and obligations of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. In total, 7,730 such crimes have been recorded since then,” emphasized Colonel Valery Weber, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety.
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